Scotland’s Catholic bishops have said they would welcome a visit by Pope Francis to Scotland in November to attend the COP26 climate talks.
In a statement, Scotland's Catholic bishops’ conference said: “While the decision on whether or not the Pope attends the UN climate summit in Glasgow will be a matter entirely for the Holy See, Scotland's Catholic bishops would warmly welcome his presence, however briefly, in this country.”
It would be the second papal visit to Scotland in 12 years, after Pope Benedict XVI visited in 2010.
Pope Francis is a committed advocate of addressing the problems worldwide caused by climate change. He has pledged that the Vatican will reach net zero emissions by 2050.
The United Nations gathering was scheduled for November 2020 but was postponed due to Covid-19. It has been re-scheduled for the start of November, taking place at the Scottish Events Campus in Glasgow.
Nothing has been confirmed it a visit is understood to be under consideration. If it happened, Pope Francis would probably fly in and out in one day.
Papal travel is recommencing, with a visit to Iraq taking place from 5-8 March.
The possibility of a visit was disclosed by Christopher Lamb in The Tablet. He wrote: “Protecting the environment and urgently encouraging world leaders to take action to tackle climate change have been hallmarks of the Francis papacy. Pope Francis timed the publication of his landmark ecological encyclical, Laudato si’, to influence the 2015 Paris climate summit, COP21, which led to a historic deal to reduce global carbon emissions.
“From 1-12 November 2021, the UK, in partnership with Italy, will be hosting the COP26 UN climate change conference in Glasgow. It will be the most important gathering of world leaders to address global warming since Paris, and the organisers are planning for it to be an in-person event. Given that papal travel is starting again..., might the Pope make a visit to Glasgow? Church sources have told The Tablet the idea is under consideration.”
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