Pope to attend November UN climate conference in Glasgow, health permitting

Pope Francis will attend the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow in November, health permitting, Scotland’s Roman Catholic bishops said on Monday.

The bishops confirmed the Pope’s presence among other world leaders in a statement on their website.

“Having written to the Holy Father to assure him of a warm welcome, should he attend the conference, they are delighted to hear that he does hope to attend and would be glad to meet with them in Glasgow,” a statement said.

Francis is in a Rome hospital recovering from colon surgery and will remain there for a few more days, the Vatican said on Monday. He is expected to resume normal activity in August.

The Scottish bishops said the Pope “will be in Scotland for a very short time, most of which will be spent participating in the COP26 Conference.“

In October the Vatican will host a major gathering of world religious leaders and scientists to take a common stand to raise the stakes ahead of the conference.

The Vatican has not yet officially announced the Pope’s trip to Scotland, but a trip to Slovakia and the Hungarian capital of Budapest is still scheduled for mid-September.