Pope makes surprise visit to Rome's Villa Borghese

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis attended an event at Rome’s Villa Borghese this Sunday evening to mark Earth Day.

The initiative entitled “Earth Village. Living the City Together. Rome in Mariapolis,” is sponsored by  Earth Day Italia, Connect 4 Climate and the Focolare Movement of Rome.

According to the Focolare Movement, “the idea is to create a temporary village within the city, with the involvement of numerous initiatives which daily work to make the capital a better place in which to live, where each citizen or tourist, no matter their age, social class or culture, can experience their own irreplaceable contribution to the life of the city.”

Pope Francis last year released his encyclical Laudato Si in which called on people to “care for our common home”.

The Rome event comes just days after world leaders officially signed the Paris Agreement on climate, COP21.