[1/2]Pope Francis prays for migrants and refugees, with the “Angels Unaware” monument, dedicated to the world’s migrants and refugees, behind him in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, October 19, 2023. Portal/Remo Casilli/File Photo Acquire LICENSE RIGHTS
ROME, Nov 1 (Portal) – Pope Francis said on Wednesday he would attend the COP28 climate conference starting in Dubai next month. This will be the first time since the UN Environment Conference began in 1995 that a pontiff will be present.
The pope told Italian state television RAI TG1 News in an interview that he is expected to be in Dubai from December 1-3. The conference runs from November 30th to December 12th.
In Dubai, the pope is expected to make his latest call for action to curb global warming.
“We still have time to stop it,” Francis said in the interview, speaking of global warming. “Our future is at stake, the future of our children and grandchildren. A little bit of responsibility is required.”
Francis, 86, has made environmental protection one of the hallmarks of his papacy and met with COP28 President Sultan al-Jaber last month.
In a key document dated Oct. 4, Francis appealed to climate change deniers and hesitant politicians to change their minds, saying they cannot sugarcoat human causes or mock science as the planet “approaches the breaking point.”
The document, known as the Apostolic Exhortation and titled Laudate Deum (Praise God), was a follow-up to Francis’ 2015 encyclical on the environment, Laudato Si (Praise be to God).
The reason for Laudate Deum was the recent extreme weather events and she mentioned several times the challenges of COP28.
Failure in Dubai, Francis said in the document, “will be a great disappointment and will jeopardize all the good that has been achieved so far.”
Heads of state typically only attend the opening sessions of the conferences and give keynote speeches. US President Joe Biden spoke at the start of the last two meetings in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, last year and Glasgow, Scotland, in 2021. Such conferences are also occasions for bilateral meetings.
Reporting by Philip Pullella; Editing by Diane Craft and Jonathan Oatis
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