Vatican to send Pope’s aide for UN climate talks

Pontiff to send his secretary of state for summit this month

The Vatican said yesterday that it will send its secretary of state to the upcoming UN climate summit in Glasgow, casting doubts on whether Pope Francis himself will attend.

Francis, whose passion for caring for the environment has been a pillar of his papacy, said last month that he hoped to attend COP26 but it “depends on how I feel at the time”. The 84-year-old underwent colon surgery in Rome in July. Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said Friday the tiny city state’s delegation would be lead by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, its secretary of state.

It did not say whether the pope would attend or would contribute in another form to the talks, which run from Oct. 31 to Nov. 12.