Merkel and pope discuss climate change in farewell visit

German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrives ahead of a meeting with Pope Francis at the Vatican October 7, 2021. REUTERS/Yara Nardi

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) -Outgoing German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday the response to climate change would require a radical change in how people live as she met Pope Francis during a farewell visit to the Vatican and Italy.

Francis and other religious leaders made a joint appeal on Monday for next month's U.N. Climate Change Conference COP26 to offer concrete solutions to save the planet from "an unprecedented ecological crisis".