President Biden’s meeting with Pope Francis is extremely personal to him.
“He’s one of our most religious presidents openly that we have had in some time,” CNN White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins says. “Every Saturday, nearly, he is going to mass at 5:30 p.m. in Georgetown. He talks about his religion in his presidential speeches a lot.”
Biden has also quoted the Pope in his messages throughout the world several times, Collins added.
“This is a President who brought his rosary beads into the situation room during the bin Laden raid when President Obama was in office. It’s a deep aspect of his presidency. I don’t think it’s surprising that he is starting his second major trip overseas with this visit,” she said.
President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden arrive at San Damaso courtyard at the Vatican on October 29.
There is a stark contrast between the Pope’s relationship with former President Trump and President Biden.
“Often, you saw Pope Francis try to serve as a moral counterpart when Trump was in office, talking about building walls and a lot of policies he had; such a different message that the Pope took throughout the world,” Collins remarks.
On the other hand, Biden and the Pope’s stances are interweaved on certain global issues, she added, such as on the topic of nationalism.
“It shows how symbolic this relationship is but also how often they agree on some of these policy matters as well.”
This meeting will obviously also be a personal discussion between the two behind closed doors as well, she said.
CNN
