Biden in surprise meeting with Pope Benedict
June 03, 2011
Pope Benedict XVI met privately with US Vice President Joseph Biden at the Vatican on June 3. The meeting had not been announced in advance, and neither the Vatican nor the American government offered any immediate comment.
The official silence about the meeting suggests that both sides saw the conversation as sensitive. Biden, who is Catholic, has long been at odds with Church teachings on questions such as abortion: a fact that the Washington Post and USA Today saw as the most noteworthy fact about his meeting with the Pope.
Biden--who was in Rome for ceremonies marking the 150th anniversary of Italian unification--spoke with Pope Benedict shortly after the Pontiff had met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
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Further information:
- US VP Biden, a Catholic who supports abortion rights, meets with pope in unannounced visit (Washington Post)
- Did Pope Benedict scold Biden on abortion? (USA Today)
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