Pope Francis
(Picture: PA Archive)Pope Francis will not be attending the U.N. Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Scotland, the Vatican confirmed on Friday.
Only recently the pope, 84, had shared his hoped of being able to attend the Cop26 in Glasgow.
It comes after he had successful colon surgery in Rome in July.
The Vatican announced the delegation would be headed by Cardinal Pietro Parolin at the conference.
This meant the pope would not be attending the conference himself.
He was invited among 120 world leaders to talk about the climate change conference.
Cop26 will go ahead between October 12 and November 12.
A Vatican source told Reuters there was a possibility the pope would address the conference via video or Parolin would read a message on his behalf.
#COP26 in Glasgow is called to provide effective responses to the unprecedented ecological crisis and the crisis of values we are presently experiencing, and in this way to offer concrete hope to future generations. Let us accompany it with our spiritual closeness. #Faiths4COP26
— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) October 4, 2021
Just days ago, he tweeted about Cop26: “#COP26 in Glasgow is called to provide effective responses to the unprecedented ecological crisis and the crisis of values we are presently experiencing, and in this way to offer concrete hope to future generations. Let us accompany it with our spiritual closeness. #Faiths4COP26.”
Recently, Pope Francis said he had planned to attend Cop26 but he revealed it would depend on “how I feel at the time”.
Pope Francis told the COPE broadcaster: “In principle, the program is that I go. It all depends on how I feel at the time. But in fact, my speech is already being prepared, and the plan is to be there.”
