The Vatican's work program released today indicates that Pope Francis will hold nearly a full day of meetings with world leaders attending the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28), set to take place in Dubai next month. This will mark the first time during his papacy that the 86-year-old pope, who is also a head of state, will conduct numerous high-level and bilateral meetings with peers and other officials within a short period.
The pope’s stance on climate change is well known, and this event will provide him with the opportunity to engage personally with Arab and global leaders to discuss the ongoing wars in Gaza and Ukraine. Pope Francis will visit Dubai from December 1 to 3. The conference is scheduled from November 30 to December 12.
After delivering his speech at the conference on the morning of December 2, the pope will hold two special meeting sessions for the rest of the day. Organizers in Dubai have not disclosed the list of senior officials attending, nor has the Vatican announced any confirmed bilateral meetings.
Buckingham Palace stated that King Charles will deliver the opening remarks for the conference. UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is also expected to attend. Two American officials told Reuters last week that President Joe Biden is unlikely to attend, though they confirmed that a final decision has not yet been made.
Last year, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Jordan's King Abdullah II, and French President Emmanuel Macron were among the attendees. Numerous countries plan to push for the first agreement to gradually reduce carbon dioxide, fuel, and gas emissions during the gathering in Dubai.
This will be the first time a pope has attended a UN climate change meeting since the conference began in 1995, and he is expected to reiterate calls he made in recent weeks for action to mitigate global warming. In a document released on October 4, Pope Francis urged climate change skeptics and hesitant politicians to change their stance, stating that they cannot ignore humanitarian issues or mock science at a time when “the planet may be nearing a breaking point.” He emphasized that the failure of the Dubai conference would be a significant disappointment and would undermine any progress made thus far.
