By Bisola Adeyemo
Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City state has called on all leaders of the world and every country in fighting against climate change.
The US’ special climate envoy John Kerry told Vatican News on Saturday after a meeting with the pontiff.
“The Holy Father is one of the most powerful voices on the planet, if not the most powerful,” Kerry told the Vatican’s information portal in an interview.
“But because he is above politics and outside of national conflicts, I think he can shake people up a little bit and bring them to the table of dialogue with a better sense of our common duty.”
Kerry, who is on a European tour that will take him to Britain and Germany after Rome, met with the Argentine pope at the Vatican a day after a meeting with Prime Minister Mario Draghi.
“The Pope is one of the great voices of reason and a convincing moral authority on the issue of the climate crisis,” Kerry said, adding he believed the pontiff would be attending November’s United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow.
“One of the principal challenges facing humanity” today. He has rebuked industrialised countries most responsible for the crisis, while speaking up for the poor in developing countries who will feel its worst effects.
