VATICAN CITY - German Chancellor Angela Merkel says Pope Francis encouraged her to work to preserve the Paris climate accord despite the U.S. withdrawal and shared her aim to "bring down walls," and not build them.

  

Merkel and Francis met for about 40 minutes Saturday, focusing on the Group of 20 summit Germany is hosting in Hamburg July 7-8.

  

The Vatican said the talks focused on the need for the international community to combat poverty, hunger, terrorism and climate change.

  

Merkel told reporters she briefed the pope on Germany's G-20 agenda, which she said "assumes that we are a world in which we want to work together multilaterally, a world in which we don't want to build walls but bring down walls."

  

She said Francis encouraged her to fight for the Paris accord.