At the 2017 gathering, organizers offered Catholic speakers that tackled racism, immigration, climate change, socioeconomic inequality, prison reform and other forms of social exclusion. 

Pope Francis met with Kofi Annan, the former U.N. secretary-general, and former Irish President Mary Robinson to discuss shared concerns about peace, human rights and climate change.

"The international community must respond to the outrages systematically committed by Daesh with a rock-solid resolve to prevent similar future abominations from recurring."

The governor used his visit to Rome to say that the world is facing bigger challenges in addressing climate change than one president.

"I feel that every time there is a terrorist attack that happens, and the individual happens to be Muslim, rather than holding the individual accountable, there is this push to hold entire swaths of communities accountable."

Catholic universities need to study the root causes of forced migration and ways to counter discrimination, Pope Francis said.