Photo: Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty
During theirFriday audiencewithPope Francisin Vatican City, PresidentJoe Bidenand First Lady Dr.Jill Bidenattended to business, discussing topics like world poverty and climate change. But the visit was also full of “laughter and clear rapport,” according to a White House official who was present, thanks in part to heartfelt and thoughtful gifts the Bidens presented to their host.
During a moment in front of cameras, President Biden, 78, gave Francis, 84, a special coin that he said he presents to “leaders and warriors.”
“You are the most significant warrior for peace I’ve ever met. And with your permission, I’d like to be able to give you a coin. It has the U.S. seal on the front. … I know my son would want me to give it to you,” Biden explained through a translator, referring tohis son Beau Biden, a National Guardsman whodied of brain cancer in 2015. “On the back of it, I have the state of Delaware, the 261st Unit my son served with.”
Francis will need to keep track of the coin, according to the president, who said, “The tradition is — and I’m only kidding about this — next time I see you, you don’t have it, you have to buy the drinks.”
Francis laughed during the exchange and accepted the coin, saying, “Irish people love whisky,” after the president said he’s the “only Irishman you’ve ever met who’s never had a drink.”
The coin wasn’t the only gift Francis received. The president and first lady, who wore a black dress and the traditional black lace mantilla that covered the back of her head, also presented him with a “historic chasuble in a custom frame with historic marble and White House wood,” according to a White House official.
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The church, the White House official said, is “steeped in American history and has played a significant role in advocating for abolition, desegregation, and civil rights since its inception in 1787.”
Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty
President Abraham Lincoln visited the church, which served as a hospital during the Civil War, and the nation’s only other Catholic president, John F. Kennedy, worshiped there during his time in office.
source: people.com
