Pope, Charles discuss environment
Published: April 28, 2009, 12:30 am
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VATICAN CITY—Pope Benedict XVI and Prince Charles discussed their mutual concern for the environment as the heir to the British throne brought his campaign to fight climate change to the Vatican on Monday.
Charles, accompanied by his wife, Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, looked relaxed in a private meeting in the pope’s private library. The couple sat across a wooden table from Benedict for the 15-minute conversation in English.
It was Charles’ first visit with the pontiff since Benedict was elected pope in 2005. The prince and his late wife, Diana, had met with John Paul II, whom Benedict succeeded.
Charles and Camilla postponed their wedding by a day in 2005 so he could attend John Paul’s funeral in St. Peter’s Square.
“He was a wonderful man,” Charles told the pope as he left the library. “We miss him terribly.”
Both Charles and Benedict have made several appeals in recent years on the need to protect the environment.
“The cordial discussions provided an opportunity for an exchange of views on certain questions of mutual interest, including the human promotion and development of peoples, environment protection and the importance of intercultural and interreligious dialogue for furthering peace and justice in the world,” the Rev. Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman, told reporters after the talks.
“The pope often speaks of responsibility for the environment,” Lombardi told reporters. Last year, the Vatican installed solar panels on the roof of its main audience hall to save energy.
Charles has campaigned from Latin America to Asia as well as Western Europe to encourage efforts to battle climate change.
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