Joe Biden praises Pope Francis, calling him a man ‘of great empathy’
- On Friday ahead of the G20 talks in Rome, Biden met Pope Francis for more than an hour at the Vatican
- Biden, a devout Catholic, choked up while describing how the pope comforted his family following the 2015 of his son, Beau, from cancer
“This is a man who is someone who is looking to establish peace and decency and honour, not just in the Catholic Church but just generically,” Biden said during a press conference at the culmination of the two-day G20 summit in Rome.
Biden, a devout Catholic who regularly attends church, choked up while describing how the pope comforted his family following the 2015 death from cancer of his son, Beau, when Biden was vice-president.
During a visit by the pope to the United States later that year, Francis asked if he could meet Biden’s family, the president recalled.
“And we met in a hangar at the Philadelphia airport and he came in and met with my family for a considerable amount of time … and he talked about my son Beau,” said Biden.
“And he didn’t just generically talk about him, he knew about him … he knew what a man he was,” he said. “It had such a cathartic impact on his children, on my wife and our family. It meant a great deal.”