Joe Biden, Pope Francis discuss climate change, poverty in Rome
- US President Joe Biden met Pope Francis in Rome on Friday
- The two most prominent Catholics of the world are said to have discussed climate change and the impact of the pandemic
- After the meeting, Biden said the Pope had asked him to continue receiving Communion
Joe Biden, President of the United States,
met Pope Francis, the leader of the Catholic Church, on Friday before the US
president assembles with the Group of 20 leaders for the G20 Summit this
weekend. Following his meeting with the Pope, President Biden, an avowed
Catholic, said that the Pope told him he should continue to receive Communion.
Biden and Pope Francis, effectively the world’s
two most prominent Roman Catholics, discussed a number of issues ranging from
climate change to poverty during their meeting which ran into overtime. The
discussions also touched upon the death of President Joe Biden’s son Beau Biden
who died in 2015. A couple of jokes about aging also featured in the
high-profile meeting.
The president and pope’s meeting took place
at a time Biden has vocally supported abortion rights, a particularly touchy
point among Catholics in the United States. The US president’s statement that
the Pope has asked him to receive Communion comes after several US bishops have
suggested that Biden be denied Communion.
Some of the videos released by the Vatican
show the Pope and President Biden repeatedly shaking hands and smiling. The
private meeting between the two went on for about 75 minutes, the Vatican said,
which is more than double the normal length of audience with the Pope.
During the meeting, President Biden and Pope
Francis sat across from one another in the papal library accompanied by a
translator. The duo first exchanged gifts and then a broader meeting took place
along with First Lady Jill Biden and other top US officials.
The White House said that President Biden
thanked His Holiness for “his advocacy for the world’s poor and those suffering
from hunger, conflict and persecution.” Biden is also said to have lauded Pope
Francis’ efforts in tacking climate change and for his advocacy to ensure that
the COVID-19 pandemic ends for everyone through “vaccine sharing and an
equitable global economic recovery.”
(With inputs from
Associated Press)
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