Dozens of Latin American mayors have gathered in Rome to promote sustainable development. The meeting served to identify the main problems and put on the table answers to the major challenges facing cities.

Pope Francis, who met with them for two hours, symbolically blessed their project, with words of encouragement. "My idea is to travel to Argentina next year," said the pope, referring to the Guatemalan leader and activist Rigoberta Menchú, who won the Nobel Peace Prize for her work on the environment.