President of Washington,The White House said Thursday that Joe Biden will meet with Pope Francis in January, which is probably the president’s last foreign trip before he steps down from the presidency.
The White House said in a statement that Biden called the pope on Thursday and accepted Francis’ offer to visit the Vatican. The two males have already had multiple encounters.
Biden will visit Rome from January 9 to 12, according to a statement from White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. Biden will also meet with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and President Sergio Mattarella of Italy.
In his meeting with the pope, Biden talked about “efforts to advance peace around the world,” the White House said.
A White House readout of the leaders’ call stated, “The President thanked the pope for his continued advocacy to alleviate global suffering, including his work to advance human rights and protect religious freedoms.”
Before the White House made its formal announcement, reporters questioned Biden as he was leaving Marine One if he intended to meet with the pope in January. The Associated Press was the first to report on the trip.
“Yes, I will see the pope,” Biden said.
During a June trip to Italy for the G7 summit, Biden—the second Roman Catholic president in American history—most recently had a private meeting with Francis.
According to the White House, Biden and Francis talked about the wars in Gaza and Ukraine during their June encounter.
The White House noted in the June statement that “the leaders emphasized the urgent need for an immediate ceasefire and a hostage deal to get the hostages home and address the critical humanitarian crisis in Gaza.”
The president was present when Biden, then vice president, led the U.S. delegation to Francis’ inauguration in 2013, marking the beginning of the pope’s term.
Following Pope Benedict XVI’s signature, Francis, at 88, became pope in March 2013.
Biden’s visit to Italy comes after the last foreign excursions taken by his most recent predecessors. According to the State Department, President-elect Donald Trump’s last foreign trip during his first term was to India in February 2020, just before travel was restricted by COVID-19. In November 2016, former President Barack Obama traveled to Peru for his last foreign trip, and in December 2008, former President George W. Bush traveled to Afghanistan for his last foreign trip.
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