A year after the publication of the encyclical Fratelli Tutti, the Vatican hosted a day-long meeting entitled Faith and Science: Towards COP26. Various religious leaders and scientists participated in the event.
At the center of it all was a Joint Appeal addressed to the participants in the annual UN Climate Change Conference (COP26), which will take place in Glasgow, Scotland, from 31 October to 12 November 2021. A statement from the Holy See Press Office said that the Appeal was born of the proposal made by the Embassies of Great Britain and Italy to the Holy See, which the Holy See accepted and carried out with them. It was developed through monthly virtual meetings, starting in January 2021. On this journey, religious leaders and scientists were able to share their concerns and hopes regarding the need to take greater responsibility for the planet and the changes needed to achieve this goal. Exchanges at these meetings gave rise to the Appeal to take a common stand for the protection of the environment, which was signed on 4 October by those participating in the Vatican meeting. The Appeal was then delivered by Pope Francis to Alok Kumar Sharma, the president-designate of COP26, and Luigi Di Maio, Italy’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.