Center for American Progress

Biden-Pope Francis visit couldn’t come at a better time
In the News

Biden-Pope Francis visit couldn’t come at a better time

Authors Guthrie Graves-Fitzsimmons and Maggie Siddiqi discuss why President Joe Biden's meeting with Pope Francis at the Vatican is an important opportunity for the two leaders and a chance for Biden, in particular, to refocus on what drives his administration.

President Joe Biden is a fan of Pope Francis, that much is clear. He has said that Francis is “the embodiment of Catholic social doctrine that I was raised with … the idea that everyone’s entitled to dignity.” He traveled to the Vatican for the papal installation in 2013, where he noted that the new pontiff “shares a vision that all of us share, to reach out to the poor and the dispossessed.” And when Francis addressed Congress in 2015, Biden gushed, “I am really excited that the whole world is getting to see what are the basic essential elements of what constitutes Catholicism.”

The above excerpt was originally published in NBC News. Click here to view the full article.

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Authors

Guthrie Graves-Fitzsimmons

Former Fellow, Religion and Faith

Maggie Siddiqi

Former Senior Director, Religion and Faith