Bishop to attend climate conference

COP26 gets underway next week.

Local Bishop Martin Hayes will represent the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference at COP26 in November.

The annual climate conference is attended by representatives from almost every country and this year it takes place in Glasgow.

The Bishop of Kilmore is the Irish coordinating bishop for ‘Laudato Si’, Pope Francis’s encyclical on the environment.

Bishop Hayes said, “I am looking forward to attending COP26 on behalf of parishioners who are concerned about the environment. It will provide an opportunity, in a public way, to renew our care for God’s creation which is an integral part of our Christian vocation. Thankfully the challenge of climate change is now a global priority and I believe that COP26 will be critical for world leaders who will be making decisions for the future of humanity and for all of creation.”

COP26 has been described as one of the last chances to prevent catastrophic climate change with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warning the climate crisis has reached “code red for humanity”.

Bishop Hayes outlined his thoughts on climate change and the role of parish pastoral councils when he sat down with the Celt earlier this month.