Hales to meet with Pope during Vatican City conference

Published 12:00 am Tuesday, June 16, 2015

By Pamplin Media Group

Portland Mayor Charlie Hales will meet with Pope Francis during a July conference on climate change and human trafficking at Vatican City in Rome.

Portland Mayor Charlie Hales is one of 16 mayors from throughout the world invited to meet Pope Francis at the Vatican in July.

Hales will be in Vatican City to discuss climate change and human trafficking as part of a global conference called by Pope Francis.

Portland’s leadership on climate change and its fight against gangs and human trafficking earned it a spot at the conference.

“These are crises facing every city in the world,” Hales said Tuesday, June 16, when the conference was announced. “Cites have to work together, and this is an opportunity to do just that. It’s an honor for the mayors to address the Pope.”

The July 21 conference, “Modern Slavery and Climate Change — The Commitment of the Cities,” is sponsored by the Pontifical Academy of Science at Vatican City. Participants could include mayors of Berlin, Minneapolis, Oslo, Norway, Seattle, and Boulder. Mayors taking part in the sustainability discussion are expected from Rome, New York City, Seoul, Paris, Rio de Janeiro, Johannesburg, Istanbul and Melbourne.

In the next few weeks, Hales meet with Oregon leaders to discuss climate change and human trafficking, to coordinate a message for the Vatican visit.

You Might Like