We now know the reason why the Pope canceled a live broadcast on Thursday with Biden. Joe Biden spoke a line so bizarre that it is hard to believe when he met with Pope Francis. You can watch the video here
“You’re the famous African-American baseball player in America.” The fuller context can be watched below:
#BREAKING: President Biden tells Pope Francis a story about famous pitcher Satchel Paige. pic.twitter.com/UwJfCrjhUw
— Joanna Preston (@JoPrestonTV) October 29, 2021
Biden could have meant it as a joke, or he may have been referring to the gift that he gave him. But the Pope’s laughter proves this was what he said. After a 75-minute meeting. This is not the behavior expected of serious people, much less one of the two most powerful Catholics in the world.
After exchanging gifts on Thursday, the pair made the remark. CNN reported that Biden had spoken to the pope regarding Satchel Paige (the pioneering Black baseball pitcher) and joked about their ages.
“How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you were? You’re 65. I’m 60,” Biden said.
During the meeting, Biden gave the pope a presidential challenge coin and called him the ‘most significant warrior for peace I’ve ever met,’ NBC reported.
“I know my son would want me to give this to you,” Biden said, referring to his late son Beau Biden.
Biden stated to reporters that the topic of abortion wasn’t discussed at the meeting. As U.S. Catholic bishops debate whether Biden should be denied communion because of his views on abortion, the meeting took place.
“No, it didn’t,” he said when asked if abortion came up. “We just talked about the fact that he was happy that I was a good Catholic and … keep receiving communion.”
When asked if the pope said he should keep receiving communion, the president replied, “yes.” Biden also said the pope blessed his rosary, but he did not take communion with the pope, the Hill reported.
Thuesday reported that the Pope abruptly canceled a live broadcast with President Obama without giving any explanation. The Washington Post reported about the strange occurrence.
The Vatican on Thursday abruptly canceled the planned live broadcast of U.S. President Joe Biden meeting Pope Francis, the latest restriction to media coverage of the Holy See.
The Vatican press office provided no explanation for why the live broadcast of Biden’s visit had been trimmed to cover just the arrival of the president’s motorcade in the courtyard of the Apostolic Palace, where a Vatican monsignor will greet him.
Cancelled was any live coverage of Biden actually greeting Francis in the palace Throne Room, as well as the live footage of the two men sitting down to begin their private talks in Francis’ library, at which time the cameras normally would have stopped running.
The Vatican said it would provide edited footage of the encounter after the fact to accredited media.
Did the Pope look at the US president in distress and decide it wasn’t worth taking the chance of going live? Did there exist a personal dispute? No reasons were given.
Biden had met Pope Francis three times before, but this would mark his first visit as president. Biden is also the second Catholic president, though one wouldn’t necessarily guess that given his progressive views on gay marriage and abortion.
