Pope Francis has cancelled his anticipated trip to Dubai for the COP28 climate talks scheduled for this week, following the advice of doctors concerned about his recent flu-like symptoms, the Vatican announced on Tuesday.
The 86-year-old Pope, renowned for making environmental issues a central theme of his 10-year papacy, had intended to become the first pontiff to attend the UN event since its inception in 1995.
“Although the Holy Father’s general clinical picture has improved with regard to his flu-like condition and inflammation of the respiratory tract, doctors have asked the Pope not to make the trip planned for the coming days to Dubai. Pope Francis accepted the doctors’ request with great regret, and the trip is, therefore, cancelled.” Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni conveyed in a statement.
Earlier, Bruni, in a briefing, had informed that the Pope would be attending the conference but later added that the Pope still wished to be part of the discussions in Dubai, without specifying in what capacity.
Pope Francis, who turns 87 next month, has faced a series of health challenges in recent years, including knee and hip pain, an inflamed colon, and hernia surgery in June. Despite cancelling events over the weekend due to what was described as "light flu symptoms," a CT scan ruled out pulmonary complications, according to the Vatican.
Despite his withdrawal, COP28 will lose one of the highest-profile advocates for the environment, a moral authority recognized on the global stage whose words have been influential in urging leaders to take concrete action.
The Pope's commitment to the link between climate change and poverty has been a consistent theme throughout his papacy. His address at COP28 was anticipated to castigate countries for insufficient action on climate change and encourage them to make substantial cuts in greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, he was expected to play a role in rebuilding trust between climate-vulnerable nations and wealthier, consumer-driven polluters.
In October, Pope Francis issued a stark warning that the world was on the verge of collapse due to global warming, calling for urgent and decisive action. This warning, a follow-up to his 2015 environmental thesis "Laudato Si," is believed to have contributed to the breakthrough in UN climate talks in Paris later that year.
The COP28 talks aim to assess humanity’s efforts to adhere to the 2015 agreement, limiting global warming to “well below” two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, with an ambitious target of 1.5 degrees Celsius. Besides addressing world leaders, Pope Francis was scheduled to inaugurate the first-ever faith pavilion at COP, highlighting the increasing involvement of religion in climate issues.
Sverker Sorlin, a specialist in global environmental governance, remarked before the Pope's cancellation that his presence at COP represented a potential tipping point. Sorlin stated.
“The pope may not turn the tables at the meeting but be a ‘tipping point’ that may nudge and push the negotiators in the right direction.”
Last year, knee pain forced Pope Francis to postpone a trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan, but he later made the visit earlier this year.
