Sadiq Khan meets Pope Francis during Vatican visit

Sadiq Khan was attending a three-day climate change conference at the Vatican.

• Vivek Mishra
• 17 May, 2024

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By: Vivek Mishra

Sadiq Khan presented Pope Francis with London tea during their meeting at the Vatican on Thursday.

The mayor of London visited the Vatican for an audience with Pope Francis on Thursday morning, before delivering a speech on his efforts to position London as a leader in tackling climate change.

Khan gifted Pope Francis with a “gift book” containing four teas from the London Tea Exchange, as reported by The Evening Standard.

“It’s a privilege and an honour to be invited by His Holiness the Pope to his home in Vatican City. I feel blessed,” said Khan.

https://x.com/MayorofLondon/status/1791056284160020867

Khan was attending a three-day climate change conference at the Vatican.

“This is the most nervous I have been for some time. I’m not normally nervous but I didn’t sleep at all last night. I’m excited, I’m nervous, it’s a huge privilege – I recognise there are more than a million Londoners of Catholic faith who would give their right arm to spend time with His Holiness. He has invited me and that is a big responsibility for me,” he said.

Khan serves as the co-chair of C40 Cities, a global network of nearly 100 mayors dedicated to fighting climate change. He noted that 75 percent of C40 cities were “progressing faster when it comes to reducing emissions than our national governments”.

Pope Francis requested Khan to discuss “leadership in the age of climate change,” highlighting London’s electric bus fleet, the expansion of cycle lanes, and the establishment of the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ), as reported by The Evening Standard.

“I think the results (in London) two weeks ago show that green policies are popular,” Khan told AFP. He won the London’s May 2 mayoral race by a significant margin.