Biden WILL meet the Pope at the G7 in Italy…despite the President’s push for abortion rights

President Joe Biden will meet Pope Francis at the G7 summit in Italy, the White House finally confirmed hours before the event.

Pope Francis was already listed as a participant in a G7 session on artificial intelligence in the Apulia region, raising the prospect of him meeting again with the country’s second Catholic president.

When they last met in October 2021, Biden told Pope Francis he was a “warrior for peace.” Much has changed since then, and now the two men are about to meet in the midst of two brutal wars as Biden fights for re-election by rallying behind the banner of abortion rights.

In a re-election bid where he trails Donald Trump in the polls, the abortion issue could motivate Biden’s base. The issue has stoked intense passions and led to higher voter turnout in states that have put abortion measures on the agenda since the 2022 Supreme Court decision striking down Roe v. Wade.

“A vote for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris is a vote to reinstate Roe, and a vote for Donald Trump is a vote to ban abortion nationwide,” Biden campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez said earlier this year, underscoring the importance of the issue. . ‘This is the focus in 2024.’

The Pope has called abortion “murder” and said he respects the Supreme Court’s decision, but he has also called out some conservatives in the U.S. Catholic Church for “backwardness” and complained that “ideologies are replacing faith.”

The Vatican had announced that the 87-year-old pope would attend the AI ​​session this spring.

Biden, 81, has also warned of the risks of AI, and has taken steps to prevent China from acquiring the most advanced AI technology from US companies.

Their 2021 meeting at the Vatican was vintage Biden. The new Catholic president gave the pope a challenge coin, joked about who would buy the drinks at their next meeting and told a story about Satchell Paige.

“You are the most important fighter for peace I have ever met,” Biden told Pope Francis, speaking to a translator who was with them.

‘And with your permission, I would like to give you a coin. That’s the tradition, and I’m just kidding about this. Next time I see you, if you don’t have it, you have to buy the drinks. I’m the only Irishman you’ve ever met who’s never had a drink.’

Biden’s jokes set a jovial tone in the relationship, and the pope asked first lady Jill Biden to pray for him.

But they have some things they disagree on as politics evolve over the war in Gaza, abortion and immigration.

The abortion issue continues to cause controversy in the US and Europe. An activist from the feminist and transfeminist movement ‘Non una di meno’ (Not one less) holds a sign reading ‘no more stigma on abortion’ during a demonstration for abortion rights, in Rome, Italy, May 25, 2024

Pro-choice activists hold signs during the annual anti-abortion rally in New York City, March 23, 2024. The Biden campaign plans to delve heavily into the issue of abortion rights in a contest that will see Biden motivating his base supporters to amid bad polls. against Donald Trump

Pope Francis has called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, where Biden is implementing a phased plan that would pause the fighting, free hostages and eventually end it.

Francis called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza this spring, even as the US continued to arm the Israeli army.

“I hope that the submitted peace proposals on all fronts and for the release of hostages will be immediately accepted in the interests of the Palestinians and Israelis.”

The two men had a 20-minute phone conversation days after the Hamas attack in Israel. They discussed “conflict situations in the world and the need to identify paths to peace,” the Vatican said.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby dodged a question during a briefing with reporters on Tuesday when asked about a possible Pope meeting.

“You’ll hear more from (National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan) tomorrow about details of the agenda,” he said. The announcement was later confirmed in an official schedule overnight.

It also notes that Biden will meet with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and attend a skydiving demonstration. He plans to leave Italy Friday after two days of meetings, making a quick surprise trip to Wilmington after a jury found son Hunter guilty on weapons charges.

The president’s most substantial interaction with the press will come during a joint news conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday evening.

That will allow Biden to talk about multilateral initiatives to help Ukraine defend itself, including reported plans to send as much as $50 billion in interest from seized Russian assets to Ukraine.

It will have the side effect of limiting reporters’ ability to hit Biden with questions about a Delaware jury that found his son Hunter guilty on gun charges.

The traditional two-leader format typically allows only two questions from each country’s press corps. The White House canceled a planned White House news conference on Tuesday when the news broke and Biden decided to fly home to Wilmington to see his son.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre will brief reporters en route to Italy.