Pope Francis met United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon inside the Vatican on Tuesday and the leaders had talks for half an hour, the Vatican press office said. "We talked about climate change and sustainable development," Ban told a press conference.
"He told me that his (latest) encyclical on ecology is complete and it will come out in June.
"He said that in it he will stress that it is necessary to change attitudes and lifestyles to have an impact on climate change". The secretary general and the pope also discussed the Mediterranean migrant crisis and the humanitarian emergencies created by several conflicts around the world, Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said.
Ban then addressed a Vatican conference on the environment entitled Protect the Earth, Dignify Humanity on Tuesday. He also had a short, unscheduled meeting with Italian President Sergio Mattarella at the sidelines of the conference before leaving Rome on a flight to Paris. On Monday, Ban had talks with Premier Matteo Renzi and EU High Foreign Representative Federica Mogherini on board an Italian Navy ship in the Strait of Sicily involved in migrant search and rescue operations.
"I want to physically show him what Italy is doing," said Renzi, who is appealing for the international community to do more to help Italy with the migrant crisis and end chaos in Libya in the wake of this month's refugee-boat disaster in which over 700 people are feared to have died.
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