Pope Francis will travel to Dubai for COP 28

The meeting was discreet but heralded an important decision: on October 11, Pope Francis received Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technologies of the United Arab Emirates. A key man, since he will assume the presidency of the future Conference of the Parties (COP28) which will take place from November 30 to December 12 in Dubai (United Arab Emirates).

At the end of his meeting with Pope Francis, he explained that “the time has come to unite the world and act together to propose realistic solutions to the climate crisis” and that this international conference should, more than ever, be a “COP of action”. And now, in the days that followed, another piece of information was confirmed: Pope Francis should go to Dubai himself on the occasion of this international conference so important for the future of the planet.

We thus understand better why he published his exhortation Laudate Deum a few days ago, strongly calling out decision-makers and believers. After a first historic visit to Dubai in 2019 to relaunch interreligious dialogue in this complex region, the Pope will thus make a new historic gesture that is very Franciscan in spirit. A boldness that should inspire us all.

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