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| De Blasio, at Vatican, Hails Pope’s ‘Urgency’ on Climate Change | |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| VATICAN CITY — There would be no special welcome from the papal lectern. And when the time came for Pope Francis to greet some of the leaders he had beckoned to this holy city, Mayor Bill de Blasio was not among the select few granted a clasped hand. | VATICAN CITY — There would be no special welcome from the papal lectern. And when the time came for Pope Francis to greet some of the leaders he had beckoned to this holy city, Mayor Bill de Blasio was not among the select few granted a clasped hand. |
| But afterward, Mr. de Blasio, a star attraction in Italy for the second summer in a row, made his feelings clear. | But afterward, Mr. de Blasio, a star attraction in Italy for the second summer in a row, made his feelings clear. |
| “It was fun,” the mayor said, with a touch of awe, “even to be close to him.” | “It was fun,” the mayor said, with a touch of awe, “even to be close to him.” |
| A day that began, unexpectedly, in Milan — courtesy of Roman fog that forced a brief diversion of the mayor’s overnight flight — ended with Mr. de Blasio elated about his first audience with Francis, calling it “an energy boost” to see the reform-minded pontiff up close. | A day that began, unexpectedly, in Milan — courtesy of Roman fog that forced a brief diversion of the mayor’s overnight flight — ended with Mr. de Blasio elated about his first audience with Francis, calling it “an energy boost” to see the reform-minded pontiff up close. |
| “This is a leader such as we haven’t seen before,” Mr. de Blasio told reporters as he headed to a Vatican-hosted dinner with dozens of other city officials, who were gathered here for a two-day conference on climate change. Some had traveled from as far away as Johannesburg. (On the menu: turkey with mushrooms and spinach ravioli.) | “This is a leader such as we haven’t seen before,” Mr. de Blasio told reporters as he headed to a Vatican-hosted dinner with dozens of other city officials, who were gathered here for a two-day conference on climate change. Some had traveled from as far away as Johannesburg. (On the menu: turkey with mushrooms and spinach ravioli.) |
| If Mr. de Blasio’s vacation in Italy last year had its share of pomp — hometown festivals, formal news conferences — this one has been all about the pope. | If Mr. de Blasio’s vacation in Italy last year had its share of pomp — hometown festivals, formal news conferences — this one has been all about the pope. |
| In an impassioned speech, Mr. de Blasio praised the recent papal encyclical on the destructive effects of climate change, saying the pope’s writing “burns with urgency.” And he commended Francis for resisting “powerful corporate interests,” saying that the pontiff had “awakened people across the globe to the dangers we face as a planet.” | In an impassioned speech, Mr. de Blasio praised the recent papal encyclical on the destructive effects of climate change, saying the pope’s writing “burns with urgency.” And he commended Francis for resisting “powerful corporate interests,” saying that the pontiff had “awakened people across the globe to the dangers we face as a planet.” |
| “Is it not the definition of insanity to propagate corporate policies and consumer habits that hasten the destruction of the earth?” Mr. de Blasio said. | “Is it not the definition of insanity to propagate corporate policies and consumer habits that hasten the destruction of the earth?” Mr. de Blasio said. |
| The Vatican event, part of an effort by Francis to focus on environmental issues, attracted mayors from across Europe, South America and the United States, but Mr. de Blasio, with his preacher’s cadence, stood out as a speaker. He decried “a status quo that is slowly killing our earth” and earned applause for a pledge to reduce New York City’s carbon emissions by 40 percent by 2030. | The Vatican event, part of an effort by Francis to focus on environmental issues, attracted mayors from across Europe, South America and the United States, but Mr. de Blasio, with his preacher’s cadence, stood out as a speaker. He decried “a status quo that is slowly killing our earth” and earned applause for a pledge to reduce New York City’s carbon emissions by 40 percent by 2030. |
| But when the conference began on Tuesday morning, the mayor’s seat was conspicuously empty. | But when the conference began on Tuesday morning, the mayor’s seat was conspicuously empty. |
| Mr. de Blasio, who is expected to be in Italy for less than 48 hours, opted for an overnight flight that was scheduled to arrive in Rome about two hours before he was scheduled to speak at the Vatican. (Aides to Mr. de Blasio, aware of criticism about his frequent travels, had emphasized last week that his Vatican visit — his fourth European excursion in a year — would be kept short.) | Mr. de Blasio, who is expected to be in Italy for less than 48 hours, opted for an overnight flight that was scheduled to arrive in Rome about two hours before he was scheduled to speak at the Vatican. (Aides to Mr. de Blasio, aware of criticism about his frequent travels, had emphasized last week that his Vatican visit — his fourth European excursion in a year — would be kept short.) |
| His plans were foiled by fog, according to an American Airlines spokesman, who said the pilot of the mayor’s nonstop flight “elected to divert to Milan as a precaution.” The flight continued to Rome after an hour’s delay, once the fog was “burned off by the increasingly warm sun,” the spokesman, Ian Bradley, said. | His plans were foiled by fog, according to an American Airlines spokesman, who said the pilot of the mayor’s nonstop flight “elected to divert to Milan as a precaution.” The flight continued to Rome after an hour’s delay, once the fog was “burned off by the increasingly warm sun,” the spokesman, Ian Bradley, said. |
| The mayor, who has struggled with tardiness at home, arrived at the Vatican about 80 minutes after his scheduled speaking slot. He appeared unfazed, greeting friends, including Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of Paris, with a warm smile. “He settled right in,” said Mayor Martin J. Walsh of Boston, a fellow Democrat who was seated behind Mr. de Blasio in the Vatican auditorium. “He’s always settled.” | The mayor, who has struggled with tardiness at home, arrived at the Vatican about 80 minutes after his scheduled speaking slot. He appeared unfazed, greeting friends, including Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of Paris, with a warm smile. “He settled right in,” said Mayor Martin J. Walsh of Boston, a fellow Democrat who was seated behind Mr. de Blasio in the Vatican auditorium. “He’s always settled.” |
| He also had time for a bit of municipal business. Mr. de Blasio, embroiled in a political and policy fight with the cab-sharing company Uber, compared notes with Ms. Hidalgo, a Socialist whose country has faced its own Uber-related unrest. “She’s having a very similar experience,” he said later. | He also had time for a bit of municipal business. Mr. de Blasio, embroiled in a political and policy fight with the cab-sharing company Uber, compared notes with Ms. Hidalgo, a Socialist whose country has faced its own Uber-related unrest. “She’s having a very similar experience,” he said later. |
| The weather in Rome underscored the theme of Tuesday’s conference: The ancient city has been experiencing record heat. Mr. de Blasio, who is traveling with a pair of aides and his security detail and is staying at a hotel near the Vatican — his aides declined to say exactly where — spent most of the day mixing with other officials inside a 1970s-era Vatican building, whose air-conditioning system strained to keep up. | The weather in Rome underscored the theme of Tuesday’s conference: The ancient city has been experiencing record heat. Mr. de Blasio, who is traveling with a pair of aides and his security detail and is staying at a hotel near the Vatican — his aides declined to say exactly where — spent most of the day mixing with other officials inside a 1970s-era Vatican building, whose air-conditioning system strained to keep up. |
| Mr. de Blasio had been invited to attend a light show at the Roman Forum on Tuesday evening, and he planned another environmental speech at the Vatican on Wednesday morning. | Mr. de Blasio had been invited to attend a light show at the Roman Forum on Tuesday evening, and he planned another environmental speech at the Vatican on Wednesday morning. |
| The mayor is expected to fly back to New York on Wednesday afternoon — weather permitting. | The mayor is expected to fly back to New York on Wednesday afternoon — weather permitting. |