Pope Francis, who reluctantly canceled his trip to the annual United Nations climate summit in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, because of a lung infection, sought on Saturday to lend his voice to the world’s destitute facing the brunt of climate disruption. In an address written by the pope and delivered at the summit by the Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Francis assured the world, “I am with you, because time is short.” He wrote that the world, more than ever, faced environmental devastation that offended God and “greatly endangers all human beings, especially the most vulnerable in our midst, and threatens to unleash a conflict between generations.”Francis, 86, in his decade-long pontificate, has elevated stewardship of the environment to a top priority of the church. In “Laudate Deum,” a letter on humanity’s obligations to the environment issued in October, Francis specifically called for tangible solutions at the Dubai meeting, which, at the time, he expected to attend. But the pope’s health would not permit it. He was prevented not only from delivering the speech in person, but also from participating in many bilateral meetings, including with leaders of small and vulnerable nations whose plights he had hoped to amplify.

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Persons: Pope Francis, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Francis, ”, “, ” Francis Locations: United Nations, Dubai, United Arab Emirates