ROME — Pope Francis has invited California Gov. Gavin Newsom to speak at a climate change summit of mayors and governors in the Vatican from May 15-17.
The summit, titled “From Climate Crisis to Climate Resilience,” is sponsored by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences and will cover “the impact of rising temperatures” in local communities as well as “climate resilience.”
“The Climate Crisis is upon us,” the Vatican declares in its description of the summit, and will get “a lot worse” over the next few decades as “planetary heating” shoots past 1.5C.
“Climate change is one of the principal challenges facing society and the global community,” Pope Francis wrote in his invitation to the summit. “The effects of climate change are borne by the most vulnerable people, whether at home or around the world.”
In his address, “The Gold Standard – Climate Leadership in the Golden State,” Governor Newsom is expected to speak about “recent fires, floods, and droughts in California,” the California Globe notes this week.
Newsom will likely also speak on his 2035 goal of eliminating the sale of new gas-powered cars and his 2045 goal of making California carbon neutral and 100% reliant on green power.
The California governor, who identifies as Catholic despite his public support for abortion and transgender therapy for children, has been regularly ridiculed for his failed ecological policies and economically destructive projects.
“There is no greater authority than moral authority – and the Pope’s leadership on the climate crisis inspires us all to push further and faster. I’m humbled to go to the Vatican to join the Pope in his call for climate action,” Newsom said.
The Vatican’s climate summit also features other Democratic mayors and governors, including New York Governor Kathy Hochul, Boston’s Mayor Michelle Wu, and Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey.
According to the Vatican’s booklet for the event, the summit “assembles a diverse group of mayors and governors from around the world to discuss and showcase innovative solutions for climate resilience in the domains of Water, Air, Food, and Energy, with a focus on governance and human health.”
“Participants are selected based on their geographic representation, vulnerability, scalability of practices, and engagement in scaling up solutions,” the booklet notes.
Despite the Vatican’s claim of diversity, no Republican politicians were invited.
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