De Blasio To Speak At Vatican Next Week
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio will give a speech on climate control and income inequality at the Vatican on Tuesday.
De Blasio will attend a conference called "Modern Slavery and Climate Change: The Commitment of The Cities."
Officials say de Blasio will join other U.S. mayors for an audience with the pope Tuesday.
"The pope is the leading voice on this earth in the fight against inequality. There's no question about it," the mayor told reporters Thursday. "He is the most powerful global voice against inequality. And those two issues go together in many, many ways. ... So, from my point of view, if we can take his voice and his leadership and elevate the effort to address climate change, and speed the effort to address climate change that has huge ramifications not only for this city, but for this country and obviously the world.
The mayor is departing from New York City for Rome on Monday night.
He'll be leaving for home again Wednesday.
De Blasio will be traveling with two staffers. The city is covering the cost of the trip.
It will be the mayor's second visit to the Vatican in a year. Last year during a family vacation to Italy, he met with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican secretary of state, to discuss migration issues.
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