Two weeks of global leaders meeting to save the world begins with a one-on-one between the leader of the planet's biggest religious denomination and its most powerful superpower.
US President Joe Biden has arrived in Rome for an audience with the Pope ahead of the G20 summit of world leaders and after that the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow.
The White House says the two men will discuss tackling poverty, COVID-19 and climate change, sharing a common "respect for fundamental human dignity".
Mr Biden, a regular church-going Catholic, and the leader of his religion have far more in common than his predecessor Donald Trump had with the pontiff who criticised him during his term in office.
It will be a chance for the leader of the free world to set the tone for a fortnight that many believe is crucial for the future of mankind and the planet we live on.
There are signs though of disharmony between world leaders on the crucial issues of climate and COVID-19.
The US president will also meet with his Italian and French counterparts. It will be an early chance to thaw relations with French leader Emmanuel Macron after a diplomatic bust-up over the new AUKUS security pact involving the US, Britain and Australia.-Sky News
