Pope Francis “has echoed the sense of crisis” from some scientists about the environment, and on June 18 will tackle the subject of climate change in an encyclical, a letter to Catholic bishops. That was the same day as former Vice President Al Gore’s Live Earth concert was scheduled to take place. Will anyone in the media note the “coincidence?”
The Vatican announced June 18 as the release date for the pope’s encyclical in a June 4 press release, the Catholic News Service said. On May 23, less than two weeks earlier, Gore’s group said that it would delay its Live Earth concert until the fall, according to newswire Agence France-Presse (AFP).
The original version of the musical propaganda event was supposed to be a big media draw. “Gore said the event would be the largest ever of its kind, predicting an audience of 2 billion via TV, radio and online coverage,” wrote Time.
Both the encyclical and concert come as the United Nations (UN) prepares to host the Climate Change Conference in Paris this December. Competitive Enterprise Institute senior fellow Chris Horner said in a Washington Times op-ed March 8 that the “proposed Paris agreement is another reach for global power.”
“The timing of the encyclical is significant: 2015 is a critical year for humanity,” Cardinal Peter Turkson said in March during a speech at the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference, citing the upcoming Paris conference. Turkerson, who The Guardian said wrote a draft of the encyclical, added that it “will explore the relationship between care for creation, integral human development and concern for the poor.”
Gore similarly called 2015 “the year of climate,” while announcing the Live Earth concert at the 2015 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland in January. He promoted the event with musician Pharrell Williams and producer Kevin Wall. AFP said the event was originally to feature more than 100 artists performing in six countries, but this would be replaced by a single free concert in Paris sometime in the fall.