Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin read the message on Francis's behalf on Sunday at the COP28 Faith Pavilion.

He passed on Francis's thanks to those in the new Pavilion. They included the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Ahmad Al-Tayyeb, and the President of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

The Pavilion "is the first of its kind at the heart of a COP" Francis's message noted.

It shows all authentic religious beliefs are a source of encounter and action.

"It is important to see ourselves, beyond our differences, as brothers and sisters in the one human family and, as believers, to remind ourselves and the world that as sojourners on this earth we have a duty to protect our common home."

Religions remind us that humanity is finite and has limits, Francis' message noted.

Life must be protected, he stressed. This is done by "opposing the rapacious illusion of omnipotence that is devastating our planet.

"That insatiable desire for power wells up whenever we consider ourselves lords of the world, whenever we live as though God did not exist and, as a result, end up prey to passing things."

Humans have become "mere commodities, desensitised, incapable of sorrow and compassion, self-absorbed and, turning our backs on morality and prudence, we destroy the very sources of life" Parolin read from Francis's speech.

This "is why the problem of climate change is also a religious problem: its roots lie in the creature's presumption of self-sufficiency" Francis's continued.

Call to action

There is an urgent need to act "for the sake of the environment" Cop28 heard.

Increasing spending isn't enough, Francis's message said.

"We need to change our way of life and thus educate everyone to sober and fraternal lifestyles.

"This is an essential obligation for religions which are called to teach contemplation, since creation is not only an ecosystem to preserve, but also a gift to embrace.

"A world poor in contemplation will be a world polluted in soul, a world that will continue to discard people and produce waste."

Prayer ensures our words are not "bereft of compassion and tears" he said.

Peace and caring for creation "are interdependent.

"A home is liveable only when... peace reigns within" COP28 heard.

Religions have a specific role in peacekeeping.

"May our actions not contradict the words we speak; may we not merely speak about peace, but take a stand against those who claim to be believers yet fuel hatred and do not oppose violence."

Right now "the world needs alliances that are not against someone but in favour of everyone".

Religions must work together and set a good example. Two of the most important global issues are peace and the climate.

"With a loud voice, let us implore leaders of nations that our common home be preserved" the pope's message said.

Source

• Crux

This intergovernmental event, however, is a source of considerable controversy, primarily due to the perceived lack of substantial progress in combating the climate catastrophe.

Since its inception in 1995, each COP has yielded only incremental reductions in emissions.

The grand-scale, systemic transformations necessary to achieve the objectives set forth in the Paris Agreement still appear frustratingly distant.

Nevertheless, it's essential to acknowledge the formidable challenges in reaching consensus on climate issues among 198 participating countries.

Remarkably, COP has achieved some pivotal milestones, most notably the Paris Agreement.

Therefore, despite its concerningly sluggish pace, COP remains the most potent mechanism for exerting pressure on governments to instigate the profound changes needed to either restrict global warming to 1.5°C or, at the very least, to remain within the 2°C threshold.

Formal definition of COP

Formally, COP assumes the role of the supreme decision-making body within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and its subsidiary agreements.

The UNFCCC, which came into force in March 1994, seeks to forestall perilous human interference with the climate system.

It underscores the necessity of achieving this objective within a time frame that allows ecosystems to naturally adapt to climate change, safeguards food production, and promotes sustainable economic development.

The objective is not to halt global warming entirely, which is no longer feasible, but to mitigate and adapt to its negative impacts to prevent greater catastrophe.

Membership and decision-making

Today, the UNFCCC boasts nearly universal membership, with 198 countries that have ratified the convention designated as parties.

During these Conference of the Parties gatherings, all parties convene to scrutinise convention implementation and forge decisions imperative to its effective execution, including institutional and administrative arrangements.

These decisions are included in COP output documents such as the "Glasgow Climate Pact" and the "Sharm El Sheikh Implementation Plan".

Decisions are reached by consensus, which enables individual nations to exert substantial, often disproportionate, influence.

COP, or the Conference of the Parties, represents an annual global gathering dedicated to addressing the dire existential threat posed by the climate crisis.

This intergovernmental event, however, is a source of considerable controversy, primarily due to the perceived lack of substantial progress in combating the climate catastrophe.

Since its inception in 1995, each COP has yielded only incremental reductions in emissions. The grand-scale, systemic transformations necessary to achieve the objectives set forth in the Paris Agreement still appear frustratingly distant.

Nevertheless, it's essential to acknowledge the formidable challenges in reaching consensus on climate issues among 198 participating countries.

Remarkably, COP has achieved some pivotal milestones, most notably the Paris Agreement.

Therefore, despite its concerningly sluggish pace, COP remains the most potent mechanism for exerting pressure on governments to instigate the profound changes needed to either restrict global warming to 1.5°C or, at the very least, to remain within the 2°C threshold.

Formal definition of COP

Formally, COP assumes the role of the supreme decision-making body within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and its subsidiary agreements.

The UNFCCC, which came into force in March 1994, seeks to forestall perilous human interference with the climate system.

It underscores the necessity of achieving this objective within a time frame that allows ecosystems to adapt to climate change naturally, safeguards food production, and promotes sustainable economic development.

The objective is not to halt global warming entirely, which is no longer feasible, but to mitigate and adapt to its negative impacts to prevent greater catastrophe.

Membership and decision-making

Today, the UNFCCC boasts nearly universal membership, with 198 countries that have ratified the convention designated as parties.

During COP gatherings, all parties convene to scrutinise convention implementation and forge decisions imperative to its effective execution, including institutional and administrative arrangements.

These decisions are included in COP output documents such as the "Glasgow Climate Pact" and the "Sharm El Sheikh Implementation Plan".

Decisions are reached by consensus, which enables individual nations to exert substantial, often disproportionate, influence.

These stakeholders often find themselves stationed in an expo-style zone adjacent to the formal negotiations, where they showcase their work and attempt to influence proceedings.

In more recent times, criticisms have emerged of greenwashing.

The level of interaction between policymakers and civil society remains limited, a contentious issue in its own right.

The role and value of this burgeoning civil society circus at COP has become the subject of heated debate.

Some argue it inadvertently fosters greenwashing rather than genuine action, suggesting that the focus should be squarely on the negotiations themselves.

Contrarily, others contend it provides a vital platform for civil society to voice its concerns and present new research, and directs the world's media spotlight towards the most critical issue of our time.

The significance of COP

COP holds immense significance because it serves as the crucible for pivotal global decisions, such as the Paris Agreement.

For example, the inaugural meeting in Berlin in 1995 (COP1) marked the commitment of major countries to annual discussions on climate change and emissions reductions.

At COP3 in Kyoto (1997), the Kyoto Protocol emerged, obliging industrialised nations to curtail greenhouse gas emissions and establishing the carbon market.

COP13 in Bali (2007) augmented the Kyoto Protocol with the Bali Road Map, involving all countries.

The official target of limiting temperature rise to below 2°C crystallised at COP15 in Copenhagen (2009).

Most notably, COP21 in Paris in 2015 culminated in the unanimous adoption of the Paris Agreement by all nations, with the objective of capping global temperature increases at 2°C, ideally aiming for 1.5°C (although current progress remains sorely insufficient).

Consequently, the UNFCCC has intensified its focus on urgency. Instrumental in this has been the work of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

The IPCC was established in 1989 as a joint intergovernmental initiative of the WMO and UNEP and their assessment reports and special reports have been key in precipitating significant COP decisions and climate action.

Loss and damage is a cross-cutting issue, specifically determining the compensation that developing nations should receive from industrialised nations for damages incurred due to unsustainable practices.

• Susie Ho - Director, Monash Innovation Guarantee, Associate Dean International and Graduate Education, Monash University
• Gerry Nagtzaam - Associate Professor, Faculty of Law
• Sali Bache - COP28 Delegation and Pavilion Coordinator, Monash University
• Peter Graham - Associate Professor, Department of Architecture
• Published by Monash University, Australia. Republished with permission.
• Conference of Parties 28 - CathNews NZ

As illness prevented Francis from attending COP28, he deputed Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Parolin (pictured) to deliver his speech.

Francis, who has made defending the environment central to his papacy's social teaching, is the first Pope to address the Conference of the Parties (COP).

Lamenting the lack of progress in fighting climate change, he repeated appeals for multilateralism, calling the world to action. Divisions between people are preventing progress.

"The climate, run amok, is crying out to us to halt this illusion of omnipotence.

"The destruction of the environment is an offence against God, a sin that is not only personal but also structural."

It is a sin "that greatly endangers all human beings, especially the most vulnerable in our midst and threatens to unleash a conflict between generations.

"Are we working for a culture of life or a culture of death? To all of you, I make this heartfelt appeal: Let us choose life! Let us choose the future!"

Destructive fuels

Global leaders must end using coal, oil and gas, Parolin read on the Pope's behalf.

Embracing renewable energy would help, Francis wrote. This involves "the elimination of fossil fuels and education in less dependent lifestyles.

"Climate change signals the need for major political change. COP28 must be a turning point."

Francis's message resonated with COP28's growing political momentum regarding fossil fuel use - the main source of harmful global warming.

Human activity is responsible for greenhouse gas emissions, he said.

The obsessive drive for production has caused "an inordinate greed that has made the environment the object of unbridled exploitation".

There is some tension however between accepting fossil fuel's damaging effects and stopping their production and use.

For example COP28's president, Sultan Al-Jaber, is faced with supporting the ecological evidence showing the damage fossil fuels are wreaking on the environment, contrary to his personal business interests.

Phasing out these fuels is "inevitable" he says - even though the oil company he runs has embarked on a major expansion of production.

User pays for poor

Blaming the world's ecological and climate crises on the poor and saying high birth rates are the main problem is unfair, Francis said. The biggest carbon-emitting countries are "responsible for a deeply troubling ecological debt".

It would be fair for these countries to cancel poor nations' financial debts, Parolin read. These debts exist only because of big carbon-emitting countries' excessive use of fossil fuels.

Cafod* responds

"The Pope's message is very well timed as we move into discussions on a global stocktake at COP28" says the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development*.

Leaders must heed his call "not for a partial change, but a new way of making progress together, and for choosing a culture of life over a culture of death."

Source

• BBC
• Crux Now
• Reuters
• Vatican
• CNA

A statement to participants in a seminar on "Ethics in Health Management" Francis indicated that his health has improved, he not longer has a fever.

He is grateful that he does not have pneumonia.

However he is suffering from a very acute infectious bronchitis and his doctors have asked the Pope not to undertake his scheduled visit to Dubai.

Francis commented that it is very hot there, and you go from heat to air conditioning. And this, with this bronchial condition [is not convenient].

Matteo Bruni said that, upon the doctors' advice, Pope Francis "with great regret" has cancelled his visit to Dubai.

Following Francis' statement, Cardinal Parolin confirmed that the Holy See is studying the "modalities" by which the Pope will participate in the discussions in Dubai.

"We are working on them. I have participated in all the COPs, starting in Paris and the following ones, so I think I will go this time too, but obviously I will shorten my visit, he said.

The Secretary of State explained that the Vatican delegation will stay in Dubai through the two weeks of discussions.

"I would only participate in the first part," he said.

Sources

Vatican Press Office

Vatican News

Vatican News

The health scare prompted the Pontiff to cancel his Sunday appointments and undergo a CT scan.

With the CT scan results proving negative, Francis returned from the hospital and participated in the Angelus message, albeit in a limited capacity and with a hoarse voice.

Monsignor Paolo Braida, who had a hand in preparing the Angelus reflection, stepped in to read the text and most of the greetings on behalf of the Pope.

Also, deviating from his usual practice, Pope Francis did not recite the Angelus message from the traditional window above St Peter's Square.

Instead, in a move underscoring his current health challenges, the message was delivered from the Chapel of Casa Santa Marta and was broadcast live on Vatican TV, streamed on Vatican News and displayed on screens in St Peter's Square.

Following the Angelus, Francis prayed for Ukrainians, marking the commemoration of the Holodomor, the Great Ukranian Famine. He also expressed gratitude for the recent truce in the Holy Land, signalling a momentary pause in the regional conflict.

Pope Francis then turned his attention to the youth, urging them to be "joyful protagonists" in the Church.

However, throughout the broadcast, the Pope's physical condition was apparent and despite noticeable congestion and coughing, he led the prayer with determination.

He concluded the message with his customary warmth, wishing everyone a happy Sunday and a good lunch.

In a humble request, he asked the faithful to pray for him, a practice he regularly follows.

The Vatican described Francis' condition as "good and stable".

"The pope's condition is good and stable, he does not have a fever and his respiratory condition is decidedly improving," Vatican Spokesman Matteo Bruni said.

Bruni said Francis was "receiving antibiotic therapy intravenously" and would limit his activities over the next few days but still plans to travel to Dubai for COP28 early in December.

In April this year Pope Francis revealed he was unconscious and could have died when he was rushed to hospital on 29 March.

Francis suffers from several ailments. Part of one of his lungs was removed because of an illness when he was a young man in Argentina.

The Vatican, Monday, reports Francis' condition is stable and clearly improving.

Source

Vatican News

CathNews

Scheduled from 30 November to 12 December, this gathering of global political leaders assessing climate change will include a strong presence of religious figures.

Pope Francis, both a head of state and the leader of the Catholic Church worldwide, will inaugurate the event and deliver a speech during his stay in Dubai from 1-3 December, as reported by Vatican News.

The Faith Pavilion, co-hosted by the UN Environmental Program, the Muslim Council of Elders and various faith-based groups, will serve as a hub for religious communities to address climate change collectively.

Bishop Marc Andrus, leader of the Bay Area-based diocese, highlighted the imperative for unified voices to combat the urgent effects of climate change.

"The Pavilion is really a physical embodiment of our commitment to really be an active sector in climate change work" Bishop Andrus stated.

Rabbi Yonatan Neril, executive director of the Interfaith Center for Sustainable Development, expressed enthusiasm about Pope Francis' involvement in the inauguration.

Neril emphasised the significance of this interfaith movement in addressing the climate emergency.

High-level faith leaders

The Pavilion will host 65 sessions focusing on how major religious groups are contributing to climate change mitigation.

The religions represented in the Faith Pavilion are Islam, Christianity, Sikhism, Judaism, Hinduism, Baha'i, Buddhism, Indigenous religions and Zoroastrianism.

High-level faith leaders such as Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis of the United Kingdom and Bishop Thomas Schirrmacher, Secretary General of the World Evangelical Alliance, will be among the speakers advocating urgent collaborative action.

"Most of the world's population and many of the political negotiators at the COPs affiliate with a religion" stated Neril.

"Yet for the first 27 UN climate conferences, senior religious figures have seldom shown up. At COP28 in Dubai, we have worked to significantly increase the presence of high-level religious leaders and seek to do so at future COPs."

Sources

Earthbeat National Catholic Reporter

CathNews New Zealand

It will be the first time in his papacy that the pope, 86, who is also a head of state, has so many high-level, one-on-one meetings with counterparts and others in such a short amount of time.

The pope's position on climate change is well known, so the event will give him an opportunity to connect in person with Arab and other world leaders to discuss the wars in Gaza and Ukraine.

Francis will be in Dubai from Dec 1 to 3. The conference runs from Nov 30 to Dec 12.

Read More

The pope told Italy's state-run RAI television TG1 news in an interview that he expected to be in Dubai Dec 1-3. The conference runs from Nov 30 to Dec 12.

In Dubai, the pope is expected to drive home his recent appeal for action to curb global warming.

"We are still in time to stop it," Francis said in the interview, speaking of global warming. "Our future is at stake, the future of our children and our grandchildren. A bit of responsibility is needed."

Read More