Biden arrived in the Vatican in a convoy of 80 cars, Mun called the pope for the DPRK – SME.sk

VATICAN. American president Joe Biden came to the Vatican on Friday to meet in a private audience with Pope Francis. They had to talk about a pandemic Covid-19, climate change or poverty in the world.

According to Italian television RAI, the meeting with Biden lasted at least 90 minutes. The Vatican said that direct talks between the pope and the American president lasted 75 minutes in the library of the Apostolic Palace.

For comparison – Pope Francis met in 2014 with the then US President Barack Obama 50 minutes and in 2017 with the president Donaldom Trump 30 minutes.

The pope called Biden a good Catholic

Joe Biden was pleased that the pope had called him a “good Catholic” during their meeting.

“We were just talking about being happy to be a good Catholic,” said Biden, the second second Catholic president in U.S. history, after the meeting. He also informed reporters that they did not discuss the controversial topic of abortions.

Biden is a supporter of the right to abortion, and František likened abortion to murder in the past.

Nevertheless, the pope distanced himself from conservative American bishops who spoke out of not distributing the Eucharist to those who support the right to abortion – including Biden himself.

The current head of the White House and the pope often talk about the need to fight climate change, and it was this topic that dominated their joint conversation.

“I thanked His Holiness for his support of the world’s poor and those suffering from hunger, conflict and persecution, and I appreciated his leadership in the fight against the climate crisis and the pandemic,” Biden later wrote on Twitter.

The Vatican reported that leaders spoke about climate change, the coronavirus pandemic, the issue of refugees and migrants, as well as “the protection of human rights, including freedom of religion and conscience.”

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After the pope, the American delegation also held talks with the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin.

Biden and his wife Jill came to the Vatican in an unusually long column of more than 80 cars. This was also due to the Italian government’s anti-victim order to limit the number of people in one vehicle, the AP agency wrote.

Mun invited the pope to the DPRK

The pope also gave the audience the same day to South Korean President Mun China, to whom he explained his readiness to visit North Korea if he received an official invitation from there.

According to the agency, Jonhap Mun asked the pope to visit the DPRK and thus contribute to peace in the Korean Peninsula.

“If the opportunity arises and the pope visits North Korea, it will be an impetus for peace on the Korean Peninsula,” Mun told the pope, according to his spokesman.

František allegedly reacted encouragingly: “I am willing to go there in the interest of peace and to help you all if (DPRK) sends an invitation.”

So far, no pope has visited North Korea, which does not even have official diplomatic relations with the Vatican.

During a meeting three years ago, Mun gave František an oral invitation from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Even then, the pope replied that he would travel to North Korea if he received an official invitation from there.

Both Biden and Mun arrived in Rome for the G20 leaders’ summit over the weekend.