"Pope Francis to Explore Climate’s Effect on World’s Poor"

"VATICAN CITY — Ban Ki-moon arrived at the Vatican with his own college of cardinals. Mr. Ban, the United Nations secretary general, had brought the leaders of all his major agencies to see Pope Francis, a show of organizational muscle and respect for a meeting between two global institutions that had sometimes shared a bumpy past but now had a mutual interest.

The agenda was poverty, and Francis inveighed against the “economy of exclusion” as he addressed Mr. Ban’s delegation at the Apostolic Palace. But in an informal meeting with Mr. Ban and his advisers, Francis shifted the discussion to the environment and how environmental degradation weighed heaviest on the poor.

“This is the pope of the poor,” said Robert Orr, who attended the May 2014 meeting as Mr. Ban’s special adviser on climate change and described the informal conversation with Francis. “The fact that he is making the link to the planet is really significant.”"

Jim Yardley reports for the New York Times June 13, 2015.

SEE ALSO:

"Pope Francis May Find Wariness Among U.S. Bishops on Climate Change" (New York Times)

"Angry US Republicans Tell Pope Francis To ‘Stick With His Job And We’ll Stick With Ours’" (Guardian)

"Storm on Climate Change Awaits Pope's Environment Letter" (Reuters)

"Before Francis, Long Line of Popes Voiced Environment Alarm" (AP)

"Explosive Intervention By Pope Francis Set To Transform Climate Change Debate" (Guardian)

"Vince Hatt: Pope Sees Climate as Moral Issue" (LaCrosse Tribune)

"Pope's Warning on Climate Change Stirs Controversy" (Philadelphia Inquirer)

"Why the Climate Is Such a Hot Topic for Pope Francis" (AP)

"Can the Pope Move the Needle on Climate Change?" (Grist)

"A Look at Popes And Their Encyclicals" (Pew Research)

"Pope Francis Climate Change Encyclical Seeks To Transform Debate" (Christian Science Monitor)

"U.N.: Pope's Encyclical May Have 'Major Impact' on Climate Talks" (Reuters)

"Scientists Say Pope May Be the Key Player on Climate Change" (USA TODAY)

Source: NY Times, 06/15/2015