Joe Biden, 2nd Catholic president, to meet with Pope Francis amid US bishops' criticism
ABC News
Joe Biden, the second Catholic president, meets Pope Francis Friday amid criticism from U.S. bishops over his stance on abortion.
As President Joe Biden embarks on only his second overseas trip, he will start with a personally poignant meeting with Pope Francis on Friday, the first time in more than half a century that a Roman Catholic U.S. leader has met at the Vatican with the head of the Catholic Church.
Biden, only the second Catholic elected to the White House after John Fitzgerald Kennedy, spoke of the moment's significance last month.
"I happen to be a practicing Catholic and one of the things I like about my pope today is he's all about renewal and forgiveness, that's what that's what he's about. And I look forward to -- I hope I get to see him in the not-too-distant future," Biden said in September.
According to the White House, Biden and Francis "will discuss working together on efforts grounded in respect for fundamental human dignity, including ending the COVID-19 pandemic, tackling the climate crisis, and caring for the poor."
