Joe Biden's meeting with Pope Francis overruns as global agenda shaped for G20 and COP26
P resident Joe Biden met with Pope Francis at the Vatican on Friday where they held a lengthy discussion ahead of the COP26 climate change conference on the weekend.
Mr Biden’s private meeting with the pope lasted about 75 minutes, according to the Vatican, an unusually long time for an audience with the pontiff.
The lengthy session, which was said to have covered topics ranging from the pandemic and poverty to climate change, put Mr Biden behind schedule for his meetings later Friday.
The pair then had a broader meeting with the first lady and top officials joining in.
Mr Biden declared it’s “good to be back,” as he opened a five-day European trip, with the US president visiting Rome and then Glasgow for back-to-back summits, first for the G20 and then the COP26 climate conference.
Mr Biden and the Pope have previously met three times but this will be their first encounter since he became president.
A devout Catholic himself, Biden wears a rosary and frequently attends Mass, yet his support of abortion rights and same-sex marriage has put him at odds with many US bishops, some of whom have suggested he should be denied Communion.
Pope Francis gave him a ceramic tile depicting the iconography of the pilgrim, as well as a collection of the pope’s main teaching documents, the Vatican said.
No live pictures or video of the meeting were provided due to last-minute Vatican restrictions on press access.
A White House official described laughter and a clear rapport between the two men when the larger delegation entered the room.
The COP27 climate conference - what you need to know
What is COP27? When and where will it be?
What is COP27? When and where will it be?
Each year, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) meets at what is called the Conference of the Parties (abbreviated as COP) to discuss the world's progress on climate change and how to tackle it.
COP27 is the 27th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties summit which will be held in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt from November 6-18.
Who is going?
Who is going?
Leaders of the 197 countries that signed the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) - a treaty that came into force in 1994 - are invited to the summit.
These are some of the world leaders that will be attending COP27:
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is attending the conference, after initially saying he wouldn't as he was too busy focusing on the economy within his first weeks in office.
US President Joe Biden and his experienced climate envoy, John Kerry, will appear at the talks.
France President Emmanuel Macron will also be among the heads of state from around the world staying in Egypt.
King Charles III will not be attending COP27, despite being a staunch advocate for the environment. The decision was made jointly by Buckingham Palace and former prime minister Liz Truss.
Elsewhere, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping will not attend the talks just as they decided to do for COP26.
What is it hoping to achieve?
What is it hoping to achieve?
1. Ensure full implementation of the Paris Agreement and putting negotiations into concrete actions - included within this is the target of limiting global warming to well below 2C.
2. Cementing progress on the critical workstreams of mitigation, adaptation, finance and loss and damage, while stepping up finance notably to tackle the impacts of climate change.
3. Enhancing the delivery of the principles of transparency and accountability throughout the UN Climate Change process.
The COP26 summit, taking place in Glasgow from Sunday, has no global treaty to agree, unlike the last major UN climate conference in Paris in 2015.
It is being described as the summit that must deliver on the Paris Agreement and keeping the pathway to 1.5C within reach by increasing climate action in this decade.