VATICAN CITY >> German Chancellor Angela Merkel says Pope Francis encouraged her to work to preserve the Paris climate accord despite the U. S. withdrawal and shared her aim to “bring down walls, ” and not build them. Merkel an
VATICAN CITY >> German Chancellor Angela Merkel says Pope Francis encouraged her to work to preserve the Paris climate accord despite the U. S. withdrawal and shared her aim to “bring down walls, ” and not build them.
Merkel and Francis met for about 40 minutes Saturday, focusing on the Group of 20 summit Germany is hosting in Hamburg July 7-8.
The Vatican said the talks focused on the need for the international community to combat poverty, hunger, terrorism and climate change.
Merkel told reporters she briefed the pope on Germany’s G-20 agenda, which she said “assumes that we are a world in which we want to work together multilaterally, a world in which we don’ t want to build walls but bring down walls.”
She said Francis encouraged her to fight for the Paris accord.
