U.S. President Joe Biden and Pope Francis met on Friday at the Vatican and discussed climate change, the coronavirus pandemic, and global poverty.
The meeting lasted for 75 minutes and had several warm, relaxed moments between Francis and Biden as they repeatedly shook hands and smiled, according to a video released by the Vatican.
Francis usually sports a dour look, especially in official photos, but he seemed in good spirits and having a good time with Biden. The pair sat across from one another at a desk in the papal library, accompanied by a translator.
“Biden thanked His Holiness for his advocacy for the world’s poor and those suffering from hunger, conflict, and persecution,” the White House said. “He lauded Pope Francis’ leadership in fighting the climate crisis, as well as his advocacy to ensure the pandemic ends for everyone through vaccine sharing and an equitable global economic recovery.”
Biden and his wife, Jill, were welcomed by a dozen Swiss Guards in their blue and gold striped uniforms and red-plumed halberds stood at attention in the San Damaso courtyard. They were received by Monsignor Leonardo Sapienza, who runs the papal household, and then greeted one by one the papal ushers, or papal gentlemen, who lined up in the courtyard.
“It’s good to be back,” the president said as he shook the hand of one of them. “I’m Jill’s husband,” he told another before he was ushered into the frescoed Apostolic Palace and taken upstairs to the pope’s private library.
The president's motorcade approached the Vatican under tight security, made even more intense because the Italian capital is simultaneously preparing to host the G20 summit of world leaders this weekend.
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