US President Biden arrived in Rome yesterday and was received by Pope Francis together with his wife Jill at the Apostolic Palace.
Regular churchgoer Biden is only the second Catholic president in US history. The 78-year-old was welcomed by dignitaries of the Vatican in front of the Apostolic Palace at the start of a multi-day trip to Europe. Biden’s meeting with the Pope behind closed doors was scheduled for less than an hour, but it ended up lasting an hour and a half. Afterwards, Biden met with Vatican number two, Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin.
At first it remained unclear whether the controversial topic of abortion was also discussed at the meeting. Biden’s government supports the right to abortion, which is contrary to the position of the Catholic Church. Individual US bishops had therefore called for Biden to be excluded from communion. In June, the US Bishops’ Conference felt compelled to clarify that no resolution had been taken to exclude certain people from communion.
The most important industrialized and emerging countries want more speed in climate protection and the fight against pandemics. “We recognize that the effects of climate change at 1.5 degrees are much less than at two degrees and that immediate action must be taken to keep 1.5 degrees within reach,” a Reuters news agency said on Friday present draft of the G20 summit declaration. “We are committed to meeting the existential challenge of climate change.”
Develop vaccines faster
At the same time, the G20 countries should help to ensure that vaccines are developed more quickly than before. WTO leader Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala warned the participants at the summit of heads of state and government that began today that they must commit to reforming the World Trade Organization.
When is climate neutrality?
When it comes to the climate, it is still disputed by which year the countries want to achieve climate neutrality. Opinions differ widely in G20 countries as diverse as Japan, China, Saudi Arabia and the EU countries. The statement in the declaration that the G20 states are responsible for at least 75 percent of greenhouse gas emissions is also controversial.
