For the first time at the "Conference of the Parties", for the second time in the United Arab Emirates after the trip to Abu Dhabi in 2019, from December 1 to 3, Pope Francis will be present among world leaders, to confirm the appeals, expectations and hopes already expressed in the apostolic exhortation Laudate Deum on climate change.
The "cry" that Francis makes for the commitment of the world, to give an answer for dealing with the climate crisis, i.e. the cry, made in the encyclical Laudato si' and then confirmed in the apostolic exhortation Laudate Deum, will sound again in December, in Dubai. In the futuristic emirate, in a city of abundance and ultramodern architecture, one of the largest exporters of fossil energy sources, but at the same time a large investor in renewable energy, the COP28 climate change conference, the most important meeting of the year, will take place. organized by the UN, in which world leaders will have to take stock of progress and delays in what the Pope, borrowing from Saint Francis, defines as "care for our Common Home".
The "Conference of the Parties" will open its doors on the upcoming November 30 to December 12 and this twenty-eighth edition will see for the first time the participation of Pope Francis, during his second trip to the United Arab Emirates after the trip to Abu Dhabi in February 2019. , which was the occasion for the signing of the historic Declaration on Human Fraternity. The international trip, the 45th of the pontificate and the sixth for 2023, was confirmed today by the director of the press center of the Holy See, Matteo Bruni. "Accepting the invitation of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates, His Holiness Pope Francis will visit Dubai, as announced, from December 1 to 3, 2023, on the occasion of the next Conference of States, part of the Framework UN Convention on Climate Change (COP-28)," the communique said, without further information about the program.
The Pope himself announced this visit during a recent interview with Tg1: "Yes, I will go to Dubai. I think he left on December 1st, until December 3rd. He will stay there for three days," said Francis, recalling that it was the COP21 of 2015, which took place in Paris, that gave impetus to the writing of the social encyclical Laudato si'. "I remember that when I went to Strasbourg, to the European Parliament, President Hollande sent the Minister of the Environment, Mrs. Segolen Royal, to receive me and she asked me: "Are you preparing something for the environment?" Do it before the meeting in Paris." I called some scholars who worked quickly, published the Laudato si', which happened before Paris. And the meeting in Paris was the best of all. After Paris, everyone went back and courage is required to move forward on the issue," said Jorge Mario Bergoglio.
Now, in the light of the Laudate Deum, published last October 4, the day of the liturgical memory of the saint of Assisi, whose name and mission it bears, Pope Francis wants to be physically present at this important international event. The Pope devoted an entire chapter of apostolic encouragement to the meeting in Dubai: "What do we expect from COP28 in Dubai?" is the heading that contains the expectations and hopes of the Bishop of Rome, who looks at the reality of Dubai, where, he declares, "oil and gas companies there are aiming for new projects, for further expansion of production". "To say that nothing should be expected would be self-defeating because it would mean exposing all of humanity, especially the poorest, to the worst impacts of climate change," he wrote.
"If we have faith in the ability of human beings to transcend their small interests and think big, we cannot give up our dream that COP28 will lead to a decisive acceleration of the energy transition, with effective commitments that will be monitored constantly," it is also said in the papal encouragement. "This Conference can be a turning point, proving that everything that has been done since 1992 alone, it has been serious and appropriate, otherwise it will be a great disappointment and will put at risk all the good that has been achieved so far".
Cop28 President's rating
The Pope's concern was shared by Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Modern Technologies of the United Arab Emirates and President of the COP28 conference, whom Pope Francis received last October 11 at the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican. In an interview with the Vatican media, Al-Jaber expressed the United Arab Emirates appreciation for the Pope's "firm support" "for positive actions on the climate, in order to promote human progress", confirming his side's commitment "to do everything possible to unify of the parties, to ensure inclusiveness, to achieve clear commitments and actions, and to carry out ambitious actions in the field of climate for the people of the world". That's why he outlined the "cornerstone" that guides the participants in the conference: "holding the increase in temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius" and the main goal: "reducing emissions by 22 gigatons by 2030". "Climate change is already affecting us," said the minister, "we must adapt to this change." /Vatican News
