Pope Francis

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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/254426/pope-francis-has-a-fever-vatican-spokesman-confirms

Pope Francis has a fever, Vatican spokesman confirms
By Hannah Brockhaus
Rome Newsroom, May 26, 2023 / 07:07 am

Pope Francis canceled meetings on Friday morning due to a fever, a Vatican spokesman confirmed.

Matteo Bruni, director of the Holy See Press Office, told CNA that “due to a feverish condition, Pope Francis did not receive [anyone] in audience this morning.”

As of Friday afternoon, the pope does not have any public appointments scheduled for May 27, according to the Vatican calendar. He is currently scheduled to say Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica for the solemnity of Pentecost on May 28, followed by the recitation of the Regina Caeli antiphon.

Pope Francis, 86, was hospitalized for four days at the end of March for a lung infection.
 

https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2023/05/vatican-says-pope-francis-skips-public-audiences-due-to-fever
Vatican says Pope Francis skips public audiences due to fever
By Elise Ann Allen
May 26, 2023

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Pope Francis in an interview with Telemundo, a Spanish-language US television network, on Thursday, May 25

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-05/pope-francis-peace-interview-telemundo-spanish.html
Pope: Peace will come when Russia and Ukraine are able to speak to each other
26 May 2023, 16:27

In an interview with Telemundo, Pope Francis addresses the issues of migration, abortion and celibacy, and explains that he always asks people to pray for him because when the faithful pray for their pastor "it is as if he wears a suit of armour".
By Salvatore Cernuzio

"Peace will be achieved the day they will be able to speak to each other, either the two of them or through others."

The Pope looked at the drama that has been unfolding in Ukraine for over a year and, in an interview with Telemundo, a Spanish-language US television network, on 25 May, points to what could be a solution to the conflict: dialogue.

The conversation with journalist Julio Vaqueiro took place on Thursday in a room at the Augustinianum Institute in Rome, a few metres from the Vatican, where Pope Francis met with Latin American and European mayors attending the Scholas Occurrentes 'Eco-Educational Cities' conference. Vaqueiro himself moderated the meeting. First, however, he conducted the interview with the Pope on the issues of war, abortion and celibacy, his health, migrants who leave their homeland 'out of necessity', the prayer of the faithful which is like 'an armour'.

One question concerned his recent meeting with the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, and his words to the media about not needing intermediaries. "That was not the tone of the conversation," the Pope clarified, pointing out that Zelensky "asked him for a very big favour" and that was to "take care of the children who had been taken to Russia."

"They do not dream so much of mediations, because in reality the blockade of Ukraine is very strong: all of Europe, the United States. So they have a very big force of their own. What causes them a lot of pain - and they ask for help for - is to try to bring the children back to Ukraine,' the Pope explained.

The interviewer then asked, "to achieve peace, do you think Russia should return those territories?" The Pope responded by saying: "It is a political problem."
 

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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/254430/pope-francis-appoints-bishop-of-the-peripheries-as-successor-in-buenos-aires

Pope Francis appoints ‘bishop of the peripheries’ as successor in Buenos Aires
By Hannah Brockhaus
Vatican City, May 26, 2023 / 10:05 am

Pope Francis on Friday accepted the resignation of Cardinal Mario Aurelio Poli as the archbishop of Buenos Aires and appointed his successor.

Poli, who turned 75 in November, has led the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Buenos Aires since April 2013. He was appointed just two weeks after the election of then-Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio to the papacy.

Diocesan bishops are required to submit a letter of resignation to the pope on their 75th birthday.

Poli’s successor will be 55-year-old Bishop Jorge Ignacio García Cuerva of Río Gallegos, a diocese in Santa Cruz Province in the southern part of Argentina.

García Cuerva, who has led the Diocese of Río Gallegos since the beginning of 2019, has a reputation for being a “bishop of the peripheries,” largely for his time spent serving in Argentina’s prisons and poorest neighborhoods.
 

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https://cruxnow.com/church-in-europe/2023/05/in-snub-to-russia-ukraines-orthodox-church-moves-christmas-to-dec-25

In snub to Russia, Ukraine’s Orthodox Church moves Christmas to Dec. 25
By Elise Ann Allen
May 26, 2023

ROME – In a decision seen as an act of defiance towards the Russian Orthodox Church, which also has the effect of promoting closer ties with Roman Catholics and other Western branches of Christianity, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine has decided to move Christmas to Dec. 25.

Traditionally, Ukrainian Christians, the bulk of whom are Orthodox, have celebrated Christmas on Jan. 7, along with other predominantly Orthodox nations, including Russia, which invaded Ukraine in February of last year.

On May 24, the Council of Bishops of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine voted nearly unanimously to switch from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar as regards most major feasts, except for Easter and a handful of other feast days, such as the feast of the Trinity.
 

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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/254413/who-was-sister-wilhelmina-lancaster-the-african-american-whose-body-is-potentially-incorrupt

Who was Sister Wilhelmina Lancaster, whose body is now the center of attention in Missouri?
By Kelsey Wicks
Denver, Colo., May 24, 2023 / 15:45 pm

Sister Wilhelmina Lancaster, whose body was discovered apparently incorrupt, founded the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of the Apostles. | Courtesy of the Benedictines of Mary

When the Benedictine Sisters of Mary, Queen of the Apostles exhumed the body of their foundress Sister Wilhelmina Lancaster, OSB, on May 18, they found the unexpected: Four years after her death and burial in a simple wooden coffin, her body appeared remarkably well preserved.

The news quickly spread on social media about the unusual state of the remains of the contemplative order’s African American foundress, drawing hundreds of pilgrims to the monastery in rural Missouri.

Questions remain to be answered about whether an investigation will take place to examine her remains scientifically. In the meantime, many people want to know more about this woman who, at the age of 70, founded the order of sisters best known for their chart-topping Gregorian chant and classic Catholic hymn albums.
 

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/254416/what-is-incorruptibility-here-s-what-you-need-to-know
What is incorruptibility? Here’s what you need to know
By Hannah Brockhaus
Rome Newsroom, May 25, 2023 / 09:33 am

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/254434/morticians-sister-wilhelmina-lancaster-preserved-body
Morticians mystified by Sister Wilhelmina’s body: ‘Something special going on there’
By Joe Bukuras, Shannon Mullen
CNA Newsroom, May 26, 2023 / 13:45 pm
 
The local ordinary, Bishop Vann Johnston of the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, visited the monastery Monday to see Sister Wilhelmina’s remains. Johnston, who has communicated with Church authorities in Rome about the situation, issued a statement the same day, saying that a “thorough investigation” was needed to answer “important questions” raised by the state of her body.
 

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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/254438/pope-francis-resumes-normal-schedule-one-day-after-fever

Pope Francis resumes normal schedule one day after fever
By Hannah Brockhaus
Rome Newsroom, May 27, 2023 / 07:09 am

Pope Francis resumed his normal schedule of appointments on Saturday morning after suffering from a fever the day prior, a Vatican communications official said.

Andrea Tornielli, the editorial director of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication, wrote on Twitter on the morning of May 27 that Pope Francis had “resumed his regular audiences.”

A Vatican spokesman confirmed to CNA on Friday that the pope had canceled meetings in the morning May 26 due to a fever.

Matteo Bruni, director of the Holy See Press Office, said that “due to a feverish condition, Pope Francis did not receive [anyone] in audience this morning.”

According to the Vatican’s daily news bulletin, Pope Francis had his regular Saturday morning meeting with the prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, Archbishop Robert Prevost.

He also met with delegations from the Orthodox Church of Athens and Loyola University of Seville, and with Father Wagner Ferreira da Silva, president of the Brazilian Catholic community Canção Nova.

The pope also had an audience with participants in a conference organized by the Jesuit magazine “La Civiltà Cattolica” and Georgetown University on “The Global Aesthetics of the Catholic Imagination.”

Film director Martin Scorsese and his wife Helen Morris attended the conference and took part in the papal audience.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-05/pope-francis-discourse-civilta-cattolica-congress-art-poetry.html

Pope to poets and artists: You often say what others cannot
27 May 2023, 11:34

Pope Francis addresses participants at a Conference entitled “The Global Esthetics of the Catholic Imagination", attended by artists and writers from across the globe, whom he urges to continue expressing, through their work, what others often cannot.
By Francesca Merlo

Pope Francis on Saturday, 27 May, addressed participants in the conference “The Global Esthetics of the Catholic Imagination” sponsored by “La Civiltà Cattolica” with Georgetown University. In his address to the poets, writers, scripwriters and directors from various parts of the world- amongst them award-winning film director Martin Scorsese and his family - Pope Francis noted that he has “loved many poets in his life”, and revealed that he  himself taught literature when he was young.
 

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https://www.detroitcatholic.com/news/german-archbishop-georg-g%C3%A4nswein-hopes-people-learn-the-real-truth-about-benedict-xvi

German Archbishop Georg Gänswein hopes people learn the 'real truth' about Benedict XVI
PAULINA GUZIK
May 26, 2023

WARSAW, Poland (OSV News) ─ German Archbishop Georg Gänswein, former personal secretary to the late Pope Benedict XVI, told OSV News in a recent interview that he hopes those who read his new memoir "will recognize the real face or the real truth about the person but also the truth about what Benedict XVI and also Cardinal Ratzinger have done."

Archbishop Gänswein was in Poland recently promoting his book "Nothing but the Truth," which details his time as personal secretary to Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger during his last two years as prefect of the Congregation of the Doctrine of Faith, to Pope Benedict XVI during the eight years he was in pontiff, and, finally, the decade when Pope Benedict was pope emeritus.

As he tours, Archbishop Gänswein is simultaneously awaiting Pope Francis' decision on what the archbishop's next position will be. He expected the decision to be communicated within the next few days.

"I hope Pope Francis will give me the opportunity to talk to him to hear (in person) what he has decided," Archbishop Gänswein told OSV News May 23. "I am calm. I can wait. I also have the patience to wait."
 

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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/251032/easter-isnt-over-yet-heres-when-it-ends

Here’s when Easter officially ends
By Katie Yoder
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, May 27, 2023 / 06:00 am

Catholics recognize Easter — when Jesus Christ rose from the dead after sacrificing his life for all of humanity — as the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after the spring equinox. But, as it turns out, they can continue saying “Happy Easter” into May or, in some years, into June.

Easter lasts for a total of 50 days, from Easter Sunday until the feast of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came upon the apostles, Mary, and the first followers of Christ.

This year, 2023, Easter was on April 9 and runs until this Sunday, May 28.

Easter explained
 

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Full video, with English commentary, at the link...

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-05/pope-pentecost-let-us-invoke-spirit-daily-upon-our-whole-world.html
Pope on Pentecost: Let us invoke the Spirit daily upon our whole world
28 May 2023, 10:56

In his homily for the Solemnity of Pentecost, Pope Francis calls on us to invoke daily the Spirit who gives "harmony to the world" and "directs the course of time and renews the face of the earth."
By Thaddeus Jones

At the Mass on this Solemnity of Pentecost celebrated in Saint Peter's Basilica, Pope Francis in his homily highlighted how the Holy Spirit acts in the world he created, in the Church, and in our hearts, bringing order and harmony in all spheres.

“That is the role of the Spirit: at the beginning and at all times, he makes created realities pass from disorder to order, from dispersion to cohesion, from confusion to harmony.”
 

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/254439/on-pentecost-pope-francis-says-holy-spirit-can-bring-harmony-to-a-polarized-church
On Pentecost, Pope Francis says Holy Spirit can bring harmony to ‘a polarized Church’
By Courtney Mares
Vatican City, May 28, 2023 / 05:15 am

https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/homilies/2023.index.html
Homilies 2023
Holy Mass on the Solemnity of Pentecost (28 May 2023)

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Video, with English commentary, at the link..

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-05/pope-regina-coeli-pentecost-holy-spirit-fear-god-proximity.html
Pope at Regina Coeli: The Spirit frees us from fears and opens doors
28 May 2023, 12:05

On the Solemnity of Pentecost Pope Francis invites Christians to cast out fears and revive the flame of God’s love.
By Linda Bordoni

“Today, the Solemnity of Pentecost, the Gospel takes us to the upper room, where the apostles had taken refuge after the death of Jesus,” said Pope Francis greeting pilgrims and faithful in St. Peter’s Square.

He recalled how on the evening of Passover the Risen One presented himself to the disciples who were in a situation of fear and anguish.

“Breathing on them,” the Pope added, Jesus says: “Receive the Holy Spirit”.
 

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-05/pope-francis-appeal-myanmar-bangladesh-cyclone-humanitarian-aid.html
Pope appeals for solidarity for communities affected by Cyclone Mocha
28 May 2023, 12:27

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/254440/pope-francis-encourages-marian-shrines-around-the-world-to-pray-for-synod-on-synodality
Pope Francis encourages Marian shrines around the world to pray for Synod on Synodality
By Courtney Mares
Vatican City, May 28, 2023 / 07:15 am

https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/angelus/2023.index.html
Angelus - Regina Cæli 2023
Regina Caeli, 28 May 2023, Solemnity of Pentecost

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-05/pope-to-polish-children-with-cancer-god-loves-you.html

Pope to Polish children with cancer: God loves you and is by your side
29 May 2023, 10:55

Pope Francis receives in audience a group of Polish children with cancer and reminds them that Jesus and Mary are always by their side.
By Lisa Zengarini

“Jesus is always beside us to give us hope. Always, even in moments of illness, even in the most painful moments, even in the most difficult moments: the Lord is there!” Pope Francis gave these words of encouragement and support to a group of 53 Polish children fighting cancer from Wroclaw Oncologic Hospital as he received them in audience on Monday.
 
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2023/may.index.html
Speeches 2023 May
Audience with paediatric cancer patients of the Wrocław Oncological Clinic, Poland (29 May 2023)

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-05/pope-to-barnabites-run-like-mad-toward-god-and-toward-others.html

Pope to Barnabites: Run like mad toward God and toward others
29 May 2023, 11:05

Taking a phrase from their founder, St Anthony Maria Zeccariah, Pope Francis encourages members of the Barnabite religious family to “run” like madmen “towards God and towards others.”
By Christopher Wells

Pope Francis on Monday received members of Barnabite priests, consecrated women, and laity in audience at the Vatican, as the religious family prepares for two important General Chapters.

In his address, the Holy Father recalled an expression of their founder, St Anthony Maria Zaccaria, who used to tell his followers, “You must run like mad! Run towards God and towards others!” Expanding on this exhortation, the Pope reflected on three main points: relationship with Christ; apostolic zeal, and creative courage.
 
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2023/may.index.html
Speeches 2023 May
To the Clerics Regular of Saint Paul (Barnabites) (29 May 2023)

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-05/pope-to-african-children-be-ambassadors-of-peace.html

Pope to African children: Be ambassadors of peace
29 May 2023, 11:41

Pope Francis meets some 1,500 African children accompanied by their parents and respective ambassadors on the occasion of the annual Africa Day and encourages them to continue pursuing their dreams for peace and a better future in in their countries.
By Lisa Zengarini

“Never give up on your dreams” and “be ambassadors of peace, so that the world can rediscover the beauty of love, of living together, of fraternity and solidarity”. Pope Francis made this invitation as  he addressed on Monday a group of African children of several nationalities on the occasion of Africa Day. The day marks the annual commemoration of the founding of the African Union (OAU) on 25 May 1963. That day, noted the Pope, “is a symbol of the struggle of the entire African continent for liberation, development, and economic and social progress, as well as for the strengthening and deepening of Africa’s cultural patrimony” and “you are the sign of this rich cultural diversity”.
 
Speeches 2023 May
To children from various African nations, on the occasion of “Africa Day” (29 May 2023)

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-05/pope-francis-paul-vi-international-award-sergio-mattarella-italy.html

Pope awards Paul VI International Prize to Italian President
29 May 2023, 12:43

Pope Francis awards Italian President, Sergio Mattarella, the Paul VI International Prize, commending him for his service and responsibility.
By Francesca Merlo

Pope Francis on Monday awarded the Paul VI prize, on the feast day of the Saint, to Italian President, Sergio Mattarella.

The prize, awarded in memory of Pope Montini was established in 1979 by the Paul VI Institute and is awarded to individuals or institutions “who, with their studies and their works, have contributed to the growth of the religious meaning in the world”.

Addressing the participants in the award ceremony in the Vatican’s Clementine Hall, the Pope recalled that Pope Saint Paul VI is also to be thanked for the Second Vatican Council which, amongst other things, emphasised the role of the lay faithful. “Prominent amongst their occupations is politics”, he said, describing politics as “one of the highest forms of charity”. But, the Pope continued, ”We may ask ourselves - how to make political action a form of charity and, on the other hand, how to live charity within political dynamics?"
 
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2023/may.index.html
Speeches 2023 May
Conferment of the "Paul VI Award" to the President of the Italian Republic, Sergio Mattarella (29 May 2023)

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2023-05/good-samaritan-inspiration-those-inhabiting-social-media.html

Good Samaritan offers inspiration for those who "inhabit" social media
29 May 2023, 12:30

"Towards Full Presence" is the title of a document released by the Dicastery for Communication that offers a pastoral reflection on people's engagement in the digital world. The publication aims to generate a dialogue on how to make this ecosystem more human. #FullyPresent
By Vatican News

"Towards Full Presence. A Pastoral Reflection on Engagement with Social Media"  (#FullyPresent) is the title of the document published by the Dicastery for Communication on Monday 29 May.  The aim of the document is to promote a common reflection on the involvement of Christians in social media, which have increasingly become part of people's lives. Inspired by the parable of the Good Samaritan, the document offers an opportunity to begin a shared reflection on how to promote a culture of being "loving neighbours" also in the digital world.

Looking at the theme within the context of the world of social media, where individuals are often both consumers and commodities, the pastoral reflection seeks a faith-based response. And this response begins with discerning the stimuli we receive and with intentional listening. Attention, together with a sense of belonging, reciprocity and solidarity, are key for creating a sense of unity that should ultimately strengthen local communities, enabling them to become drivers of change. By becoming "weavers of communion" through the creativity of love, we can imagine new models built on trust, transparency, equality, and inclusion, learning to be present in God's style and bearing witness.
 

https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2023/05/29/0404/00890.html
“Towards Full Presence. A Pastoral Reflection on Engagement with Social Media”, 29.05.2023

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Update: Sr. Wilhelmina

https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/missouri-benedictine-sisters-release-statement-following-discovery-of-foundress-apparently-incorrupt-body/
Missouri Benedictine Sisters release statement following discovery of foundress’ apparently incorrupt body
Life Site News staff
Sat May 27, 2023 - 6:29 pm EDT

GOWER, Missouri (LifeSiteNews) — A Benedictine congregation of nuns in Missouri has released its first statement since unexpectedly discovering the intact remains of their foundress nearly four years after her death.

Pilgrims have been flocking to Gower, Missouri, after the body of Sr. Wilhelmina of the Most Holy Rosary, foundress of the Benedictine Sisters of Mary, Queen of the Apostles, was exhumed on April 28.

LifeSiteNews is publishing in full the newly released statement, which was sent by email to friends of the community earlier today.
–
Dear Families, Friends and Benefactors,
 

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/254441/thousands-visiting-sister-wilhelmina-body-gower-missouri
PHOTOS: Thousands visiting Sister Wilhelmina's body over holiday weekend
By Shannon Mullen
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, May 28, 2023 / 14:05 pm

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/254444/sister-wilhelmina-body-place-in-glass-display-after-rosary-procession
Sister Wilhelmina’s body placed in glass case after solemn rosary procession
By Joe Bukuras
Gower, Missouri, May 29, 2023 / 20:02 pm

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-05/pope-francis-gives-support-to-launch-of-family-global-compact.html

Pope Francis gives support to launch of Family Global Compact
30 May 2023, 11:43

In a message for the launch of the Family Global Compact, Pope Francis gives his support to the initiative that aims to bring the pastoral care of families into dialogue with centres of study and research on the family in Catholic universities around the world.
By Thaddeus Jones

Pope Francis has expressed his support for the Family Global Compact that is being launched as a way to support the welfare of the family, "decisive for the future of the world and that of the Church.” In a message released on Tuesday 30 May, the Pope lauded the goals of the Compact, an initiative of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life and the Pontifical Academy for Social Sciences.
 
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/messages/pont-messages/2023/documents/20230513-messaggio-family-globalcompact.html
MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS
FOR THE LAUNCH OF THE FAMILY GLOBAL COMPACT
[30 May 2023]

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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/254445/pope-francis-elevates-las-vegas-to-a-metropolitan-archdiocese

Pope Francis elevates Las Vegas to a metropolitan archdiocese
By Courtney Mares
Vatican City, May 30, 2023 / 06:10 am

Pope Francis created a new ecclesiastical province in the United States on Tuesday by elevating Las Vegas to a metropolitan archdiocese.

The Vatican announced on May 30 that Bishop George Leo Thomas will be the first metropolitan archbishop of Las Vegas. Thomas has served as the bishop of Las Vegas since 2018.

The new Ecclesiastical Province of Las Vegas will include the suffragan dioceses of Reno and Salt Lake City.

Las Vegas, which has had the notorious nickname “Sin City” since the 1930s, is one of the fastest-growing cities in the U.S.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-05/pope-muslims-faiths-cop28-uae-audience-joint-initiative.html

World religions to share values and knowledge at COP28
31 May 2023, 18:26

Pope Francis receives the Secretary-General of the Muslim Council of Elders and the Special Representative of the UAE Presidency to discuss the crucial contribution of faith communities in the upcoming COP28 conference in Dubai.
By Vatican News

Pope Francis met privately with Judge Mohamed Abdelsalam, Secretary-General of the Muslim Council of Elders, and Ambassador Majid Al-Suwaidi, Director-General and Special Representative of the UAE Presidency for COP28 to discuss preparations and the involvement of faith-based groups in the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28).

A statement said that during the Audience that took place on Monday, 29 May, “they shared the possibility of launching a joint initiative on climate change in preparation for and on the occasion of the upcoming COP28, in order to involve religious institutions, leaders, and civil society organizations in addressing the goals of COP28.”

The conference will convene from 30 November to 12 December 2023, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). The focus of the Summit is “Protecting global food systems”.