Vatican City, Apr 16, 2016 / 03:42 am
*Updated April 16, 2016 at 4:46 p.m. EST with Pope Francis' comments.
After cancelling his planned visit to a Vatican conference hosting U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.) due to schedule complications surrounding his visit to Lesbos, Pope Francis agreed to meet the senator before departing for the small Greek island.
The meeting took place at 6 a.m. at the Vatican's Saint Martha guesthouse as the Pope was on his way to the airport, Jeffrey Sachs told CNA shortly after the April 16 encounter. Sachs also participated in the meeting along with his wife.
In their discussion, "Senator Sanders thanked Pope Francis for his leadership on the moral economy and his leadership on climate change," Sachs said.