Pope Francis announced he will travel for the second time to the United Arab Emirates— although this time it will not be for a pastoral visit or a religious event but for a climate conference.
The Pope confirmed his upcoming trip in an interview with an Italian public TV station. He noted that he will be there from December 1-3, although he did not give further details of what his agenda will be like. Although he is expected to continue his appeal for environmental protection, which has been a staple of his pontificate.
In recent weeks, the Pope had increased his focus on the conference. Last month he met with Sultan Ahmed Al-Jaber, the president-designate of COP28, and a few days earlier he had issued another apostolic exhortation, Laudate Deum, where he mentioned the Dubai meeting.
The Pope's concern is not only focused on environmental protection but also about its impacts on humanity. Similarly, Caritas Internationalis recently warned that migrants displaced from their countries by climate issues are sometimes as many as those by wars or conflicts.
JRB
TR: AT
