16 posts
9 hours ago
This is what the pope and Biden discussed during their meeting, according to the Vatican
The Vatican said in a statement on Friday that President Biden, in his meetings with the pope and his subsequent meeting with the Vatican Secretary of State, Pietro Parolin, discussed the issues of protecting the planet, covid-19 and refugees. .
They did not specify what other issues were specifically discussed with the pope.
They held "cordial conversations" and focused "on the joint commitment to the protection and care of the planet, the health situation and the fight against the covid-19 pandemic, as well as the issue of refugees and assistance to migrants." , the Vatican reported this Friday.
They also made reference to the protection of human rights, including freedom of religion and conscience.
During the talks, they exchanged views "on some issues related to the current international situation, also in the context of the imminent G20 summit in Rome, and on promoting peace in the world through political negotiation."
48 hours ago
Biden met with Macron and spoke of clumsiness in the deal with Australia
By CNN's Kevin Liptak
President Biden said his administration was "clumsy" in handling a submarine deal that deprived France of billions in defense contracts.
The frank admission came when Biden met with French President Emmanuel Macron in Rome, a "makeup" session after French officials erupted in anger over the submarine deal with Australia.
"I had the impression that France had been informed long before that the deal was not going to go through, really," Biden said.
"I think what happened, to use an English phrase, what we did was awkward," Biden said.
It wasn't done very gracefully.
I had the impression that certain things had happened that had not happened. "
It was a surprising admission of a foreign policy mistake for a president with decades of foreign policy experience.
Biden has not publicly admitted to making a mistake in the submarine deal, but he did express regret in an earlier phone call with Macron over how the situation was handled.
2 hours ago
Biden claims the pope told him he's a good Catholic
President Biden said that Pope Francis told him that he was glad that he was a "good Catholic" and that he should continue to receive communion.
Biden revealed the details of his lengthy conversations with Francisco while greeting Italy's Prime Minister Mario Draghi in Rome.
Asked if he had discussed the abortion with Francisco, Biden said he had not.
"We just talked about the fact that he was happy that I was a good Catholic and kept getting communion," Biden said.
The American bishops have advanced a plan that would allow individual bishops to deny communion to politicians who support abortion rights.
Francisco has spoken out against these measures.
Asked if he had discussed the United States Conference of Bishops with Francis, Biden said: "That is a private conversation."
Biden said he did not take communion on Friday, but that the pope had blessed his rosary.
He added that he had discussed climate change with Francisco, and that he agreed that leaders "have to be more responsible" when facing the crisis.
Earlier, Biden said that he and Francisco had prayed for each other, and for peace.
3 hours ago
The photos of the meeting between Biden and Francisco
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First lady Jill Biden reaches out to touch President Joe Biden's hand as they arrive for a meeting with Pope Francis at the Vatican on October 29.
The president of the United States is on a tour of Europe that included a meeting with Pope Francis. (Evan Vucci / AP)
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Joe Biden returned to the Vatican on Friday to meet with a pope who has provided family comfort and ideological inspiration to a president whose faith has long sustained his public and private life.
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President Joe Biden says he spoke of "a lot of personal things" in his long meeting with Pope Francis.
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The White House says there was a "clear rapport" between President Biden and Pope Francis when they met this Friday for 90 minutes, a meeting that was almost double the one that Biden had with John Paul II in the 1980s. which is often remembered for its duration.
3 hours ago
Protesting around the world against fossil fuels ahead of COP26
Swedish climate activist Greta Thurnberg (C) joins activists in a rally demanding that "big finance" defund fossil fuels.
(Photo: TOLGA AKMEN / AFP via Getty Images)
Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg joined protesters who have gathered in London and around the world on Friday, demanding that big banks defund investments in fossil fuels.
The groups are demonstrating in more than 50 venues in Europe, North America, Africa and Australia ahead of COP26, which kicks off in Glasgow this weekend.
The demonstrations are intended to highlight the role that big finance is playing in exacerbating the climate crisis.
Organizers argue that banks have invested $ 3.8 trillion in fossil fuel extraction since the 2015 Paris agreement, despite net zero emissions targets.
Giant murals will be painted in global financial centers using ashes from houses that have been destroyed in wildfires, they said.
Joseph Sikulu of the Pacific Climate Warriors group, a youth-led grassroots network that works with communities to fight climate change from the Pacific islands, said that "financial institutions that continue to invest in dirty fossil fuel projects are also investing in the destruction of our islands and our homes. "
Demonstrators protest in London against the financing of fossil fuels.
(Photo: TOLGA AKMEN / AFP via Getty Images)
"It is time to hold the corporations that have caused this crisis to account," he said, adding: "The science is clear. We have to do everything we can to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees, the survival of our islands depends To achieve this we need to defund climate chaos. "
In London, activists will take part in climate commemorations in front of major banks and insurers, with a candlelight vigil taking place at the Bank of England at 5:30 pm local time (12:30 pm ET).
Activist Mitzi Jonelle Tan, who traveled thousands of miles to demonstrate in London on Friday, said the matter is personal.
"I know families in Bulacan (Philippines) who have been forced to leave their homes because of a project financed by the Standard Chartered Bank. That is why I have traveled thousands of kilometers to stand on the steps of the bank's headquarters in London and demand that they defund fossil fuels. "
Tan added that climate change has already claimed the lives of millions of people around the world and that extreme weather conditions have been linked to almost 10% of global deaths, representing some five million deaths annually.
"The global day of action will be a time to honor their memories and ensure that they did not die in vain," Tan said.
3 hours ago
Biden's agenda before the G20 and the climate summit
By CNN's Aditi Sangal
President Joe Biden with the President of Italy, Sergio Mattarella, before a meeting at the Quirinale Palace in Rome.
(Photo: Evan Vucci / AP)
President Biden is in Rome and met with Pope Francis this Friday before the first G20 summit in person since the pandemic, which will be held this Saturday and in which the leaders of the 20 main economies of the world will meet.
This comes before the crucial COP26 climate talks in Scotland.
Here's what's on Biden's agenda this Friday:
Biden met with the President of Italy Sergio Mattarella and then he will meet with the Prime Minister of Italy Mario Draghi separately.
He is also scheduled to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron, marking his first face-to-face meeting since diplomatic tensions between the US and France erupted after Australia pulled out of its multi-million dollar defense deal with France. and agree instead to obtain nuclear-powered submarines through a new deal with the US and the UK, which will cost France billions of dollars.
At the COP26 conference, Biden is expected to reaffirm the United States' commitment to take action against climate change.
Meanwhile, protesters have gathered in London and around the world on Friday, demanding that big money defund investments in fossil fuels.
Lobbyists demonstrate in more than 50 locations in Europe, North America, Africa and Australia ahead of COP26, which kicks off in Glasgow this weekend.
4 hours ago
Biden says he discussed "a lot of personal things" with the pope
By CNN's Kevin Liptak
President Joe Biden says he spoke of "a lot of personal things" in his long meeting with Pope Francis.
Speaking after paying a courtesy visit to the President of Italy, Biden described the session with the pope as "wonderful."
He did not elaborate on their conversations.
4 hours ago
This was the meeting between Biden and Francisco
This was the meeting of Pope Francis and President Biden 0:36
4 hours ago
"You are the greatest warrior for peace I have ever known"
Biden with Pope Francis during the meeting at the Vatican.
(Photo: Vatican Media via AP)
In a posted video of Biden's meeting with Pope Francis, the president of the United States gifted the pontiff with a military coin and spilled a few jokes.
"You are the most important warrior for peace I have ever known. And with your permission, I would like to be able to give you a coin. It has the United States seal on the obverse. What is different with this coin ... I know that my son I'd like you to give it to him, "Biden told the pope, referring to his late son Beau.
"On the back I have the state of Delaware, the 261st Unit my son served in. The tradition is - and I'm kidding about this - that the next time you see it [and] don't have it, you have to pay the drinks, "Biden told the pope through a translator.
The pope laughed at Biden's joke.
Next, 78-year-old Biden joked about age with 84-year-old Francis.
Biden related a story about pioneering black baseball player Satchel Paige, describing his attitude toward aging: "How old would I be if I didn't know how old you are?"
"You are 65 years old," he said.
"I'm 60. God loves him."
The Bidens also presented the pope with gifts, including an embroidered garment worn by the Society of Jesus in the United States, according to CNN's Delia Gallagher.
The pontiff also shook hands with American officials.
The meeting between the president and the pope lasted 90 minutes, in what was the fourth meeting between the two.
4 hours ago
Meetings between popes and US presidents, in photos
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Pope Francis poses with President Donald Trump and his family during a private audience at the Vatican in 2017. Joining the president were his wife, Melania, and daughter Ivanka.
Evan Vucci / Pool / AFP / Getty Images
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Pope Francis and President Barack Obama exchange gifts during a private audience at the Vatican in 2014. Gabriel Bouys / AFP / Getty Images
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Obama and his wife, Michelle, met with Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican in 2009. Benedict resigned as pope in 2013. Pete Souza / White House / Getty Images
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During a trip to the Vatican in 2007, President George W. Bush gives Pope Benedict XVI a staff with the Ten Commandments.
The cane was made by a former homeless man in Texas.
Bush met potatoes a record six times while in office.
Franco Origlia / Getty Images
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Bush presents Pope John Paul II with the Presidential Medal of Freedom at the Vatican in 2004. Eric Vandeville / Gamma-Rapho / Getty Images
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President Bill Clinton applauds as Pope John Paul II speaks at a press conference in Denver in 1993. Dirck Halstead / The Chronicle Collection / Getty Images
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Pope John Paul II presents First Lady Barbara Bush with a Vatican medal while President George HW Bush looks at his own medal during a ceremony at the Vatican in 1989. Ron Edmonds / AP
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President Ronald Reagan meets with Pope John Paul II at the Fairbanks, Alaska, airport in 1984. The Pope was stopping off on his way to South Korea, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and Thailand.
Reagan was going back to his country from China.
David Hume Kennerly / Getty Images
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President Jimmy Carter watches Pope John Paul II sign the White House guestbook in 1979. He was the first pope to visit the White House.
Karl Schumacher / White House / Time Life Pictures / Getty Images
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President Gerald Ford and First Lady Betty Ford visit Pope Paul VI at the Vatican in 1975. Rolls Press / Popperfoto / Getty Images
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President Richard Nixon meets with Pope Paul VI at the Vatican in 1970. National Archives
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In 1965, Pope Paul VI became the first pope to visit the United States.
He met with President Lyndon B. Johnson and went to the United Nations to ask for world peace.
AP
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President John F. Kennedy speaks with Pope Paul VI at the Vatican in 1963. Kennedy, who was the first Catholic president of the United States, met with the pontiff shortly after his enthronement.
Bettmann Archive / Getty Images
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President Dwight D. Eisenhower, third from left, meets with Pope John XXIII at the Vatican in 1959. Eisenhower was actually the second president to meet with a pope.
Woodrow Wilson was the first to meet Pope Benedict XV in 1919.
Paul Schutzer // Time Life Pictures / Getty Images
4 hours ago
Almost twice as long as the meeting with John Paul II
President Joe Biden speaks with Pope Francis as they meet at the Vatican on October 29.
(Photo: Vatican Media / AP)
The White House says there was a "clear rapport" between President Biden and Pope Francis when they met this Friday for 90 minutes, a meeting that was almost double the one that Biden had with John Paul II in the 1980s. which is often remembered for its duration.
The connection between the two "was very warm when the delegation arrived in the room," says an official.
"There was laughter and a clear rapport between President Biden and the pope."
Biden was the fourteenth US president to meet with a pope at the Vatican.
4 hours ago
Pope leaves after meeting with Biden
Pope Francis drives out after a private audience with President Joe Biden at the Vatican on October 29.
(Photo: Brendan Smialowski / AFP / Getty Images)
Pope Francis left after his private audience with President Biden and the extended meeting with the US delegation at the Vatican.
His encounter with Biden lasted 90 minutes, after which he and 10 Papal Knights met with a larger American delegation, which included the President, First Lady Jill Biden, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and others, according to the White House. .
5 hours ago
Biden concludes his individual meeting with Pope Francis
President Joe Biden and Pope Francis, during the meeting at the Vatican Apostolic Palace on October 29 in Vatican City.
(Photo: Vatican Media / Pool / Getty Images)
The solo meeting between President Biden and Pope Francis ended at 1:30 p.m. local time (7:30 ET), the White House reported.
The meeting lasted 90 minutes.
The Pope and the "10 Papal Knights" then met with the President, First Lady Jill Biden, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, Assistant to the President and Assistant Secretary General Jennifer O'Malley Dillon , Assistant to the President and Senior Advisor to President Mike Donilon and several other people, according to the White House.
One notable assistant was Dr. Kevin O'Connor, who is Biden's physician.
The presidential doctor usually travels with the president abroad, but does not usually attend meetings.
When former President Trump met with Pope Francis in 2017, then-White House press secretary Sean Spicer, who is Catholic, was notably absent from the meeting.
CNN reported at the time that Spicer assumed he would be on the list, but learned at the last minute that he would be excluded, and the presidential snub raised questions about Spicer's position as the president's chief spokesperson.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki will not travel with the president for at least the first days of the tour due to a family emergency, the White House said Thursday.
5 hours ago
This is why it is so important for Biden to meet with the pope.
First lady Jill Biden reaches out to touch President Joe Biden's hand as they arrive for a meeting with Pope Francis at the Vatican on October 29.
(Evan Vucci / AP)
Biden's meeting with Pope Francis is extremely personal for the president.
"Es uno de nuestros presidentes más abiertamente religioso que hemos tenido en algún tiempo", dice la corresponsal de CNN en la Casa Blanca, Kaitlan Collins. "Todos los sábados, casi, va a misa a las 17:30 en Georgetown. Habla mucho de su religión en sus discursos presidenciales".
Biden también ha citado varias veces al papa en sus mensajes por el mundo, añade Collins.
"Se trata de un presidente que llevó sus cuentas de rosario a la sala de situación durante la incursión contra Bin Laden cuando el presidente Obama estaba en el cargo. Es un aspecto profundo de su presidencia. No creo que sea sorprendente que comience su segundo gran viaje al extranjero con esta visita", dijo.
Hay un fuerte contraste entre la relación del papa con el expresidente Trump y el presidente Biden.
"A menudo, se veía al papa Francisco tratar de servir de contraparte moral cuando Trump estaba en el cargo, hablando de construir muros y de muchas políticas que tenía; un mensaje tan diferente que el papa llevó por todo el mundo", remarca Collins.
Por otro lado, las posturas de Biden y el papa se entrelazan en ciertos temas globales, agregó, como en el tema del nacionalismo.
"Esto demuestra lo simbólica que es esta relación, pero también la frecuencia con la que coinciden en algunas de estas cuestiones políticas".
Obviamente, este encuentro también será una discusión personal entre ambos a puerta cerrada, dijo.
Hace 5 horas
Un encuentro con Francisco cargado de simbolismo
La última vez que el presidente Joe Biden visitó el Vaticano todavía se estaba recuperando de la pérdida de su hijo Beau por cáncer un año antes.
El motivo de su visita en 2016 fue la Tercera Conferencia Internacional de Medicina Regenerativa y, en un discurso pronunciado con una enorme escultura de bronce de la Resurrección como telón de fondo, Biden hizo un llamado apasionado para desarrollar nuevas curas para la enfermedad que acabó con la via de su hijo.
Pero también recordó un momento de amabilidad de su anfitrión, el papa Francisco, quien visitó Estados Unidos en los meses posteriores a la muerte de Beau y se reunió con la familia extendida de Biden cuando partió de EE.UU. desde el Aeropuerto Internacional de Filadelfia.
"We had just lost my son," Biden said at the beginning of his speech.
"And he met my extended family in the hangar behind where the plane was. And I wish that every grieving father, brother, sister, mother, father, have the benefit of his words, his prayers, his presence. He provided us more comfort than even he, I think, will understand. "
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5 hours ago
Biden came to the Vatican
This is how Biden came to the Vatican 6:38
FranciscoJoe BidenPapa Francisco