Big oil to meet with Vatican officials, Pope Francis

An energy forum, co-hosted by the University of Notre Dame, will bring together investors, oil executives and Church officials June 8-9 at the Vatican. Read more here.

While most details about the encounter are being kept secret in hopes of facilitating frank dialogue among the participants, a weekly Vatican media planning calendar indicates the discussion will likely center on the need to transition the global energy market away from dependence on fossil fuels.

According to the calendar, the conference is being titled “Energy transition and care of our common home,” referencing the subtitle for Francis’ 2015 environmental encyclical Laudato Si’. It is to be held at the Vatican June 8-9, and is being co-hosted by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and the University of Notre Dame….

Leo Burke, director of the Climate Investing Initiative at Notre Dame who is among the organizers, told NCR: “With regard to any energy-related meeting involving the Vatican and Notre Dame, we have consistently stated that it would be a private dialogue among the attendees. Regrettably, I am not free to comment at this time.”