ROME — Pope Francis on Sunday urged people to pray so that “the cry of the Earth” is heard at the U.N. climate summit getting underway in Glasgow, Scotland.

Francis in comments to the public in St. Peter’s Square, on Sunday, noted that it was the first day of the crucial gathering. He told the crowd: “Let us pray so that the cry of the Earth and the cry of the poor” is heard by summit participants.

“May this encounter yield efficient answers offering concrete hope to future generations,” the pope said. Francis has made care for the planet’s fragile environment a key plank of his papacy.

In Rome Sunday, leaders of the G-20 nations accounting for 75 percent of greenhouse emissions were negotiating on what commitments they’re willing to make to contain rising global temperatures.