“Group of 20” leaders, representing the world’s largest economies, are convening for a climate-focused second day of a two-day summit, before heading to Glasgow, Scotland, for a major climate conference.
Here’s what to know
The leaders are expected to discuss what wealthy countries owe poorer ones that are trying to develop in a climate-friendly and that may already be feeling the devastating impacts of climate change.Britain’s Prince Charles, a longtime climate activist, is scheduled to deliver a keynote address.President Biden is scheduled to meet with individual country leaders, including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and is expected to hold a news conference before leaving for Glasgow.
Before a formal dinner of the G-20 leaders, President Biden attended a Saturday Vigil Mass at a church in Rome near the U.S. Embassy.
Biden is a regular churchgoer, but his attendance Saturday drew increased attention, coming one day after he met with Pope Francis. After that meeting, Biden told reporters that the pontiff had called him a “good Catholic” and said he should continue to receive Communion.
The Vatican did not provide its own version of events about that aspect of the meeting between Francis and Biden. But Biden’s comments were enough to cause outcry among U.S. Catholic conservatives, some of whom have argued that the president should be barred from the holy sacrament because of his support of abortion rights.
On Saturday, Biden received Communion, said Father Steven Petroff, the rector at St. Patrick’s Church, a mainstay for the American community in Rome, where Mass is conducted in English.
Biden was attending Mass at the same church which House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited several weeks ago after her own meeting with the pontiff. In Pelosi’s case, she was forced to leave Mass early because of encroaching protesters rallying against Italy’s mandating a coronavirus vaccination pass for all workers.
Petroff said he wasn’t certain Biden would attend until several hours before Mass.
“It was a bit of a surprise,” Petroff said. “It was very nice.”
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A memorable photo at the first in-person G-20 in two years
Once all the leaders had arrived at the summit site — well, at least those participating in person — it was time for a “family photo,” the first at a Group of 20 gathering in more than two years.
The leaders took their places along three levels of a tiered blue stage. Mario Draghi, as the prime minister of the host country, stood in the center. President Biden stood on the farthest end of one side. Just before the picture was taken, two missing figures — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau — darted onto the stage as others made room.
When those pleasantries were over, the leaders welcomed doctors and first responders onto the platform as well, applauding as they joined in.
Afterward, the leaders headed into a large, ovular hall, ringed by flags, where they will begin the formal part of Saturday’s summit.
A handful of Group of 20 heads were missing from the photo. Xi Jinping of China and Vladimir Putin of Russia have not flown to Rome, citing the coronavirus, and are instead expected to participate remotely. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is staying home ahead of elections on Sunday. Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador is also not present, and has sent his foreign minister in his place.
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