US envoy Kerry calls pope ‘powerful voice’ on climate

Ahg AFP

VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis is a "convincing moral authority" in the fight against climate change, the US’ special climate envoy John Kerry told Vatican News Saturday after a meeting with the pontiff.

"The Holy Father is one of the most powerful voices on the planet, if not the most powerful," Kerry told the Vatican’s information portal in an interview.

"But because he is above politics and outside of national conflicts, I think he can shake people up a little bit and bring them to the table of dialogue with a better sense of our common duty."

Kerry, who is on a European tour that will take him to Britain and Germany after Rome, met with the Argentine pope at the Vatican a day after a meeting with Prime Minister Mario Draghi.