![]() His refusal has become a hallmark of how Biden manages his faith, a throwback to a brand of mid-20th-century political Catholicism that eschews obsessive obedience to the Holy See on matters of policy.Īn Irish Catholic educated by nuns in parochial schools, Biden is quick to invoke the church’s social teaching on the stump. It was later revealed that it was Biden’s mother who insisted he refrain, telling her son, “Don’t you kiss his ring.” Biden, a Roman Catholic from Pennsylvania coal country with an interest in foreign policy, listened intently.ĭespite the thrill of meeting John Paul, there was one thing Biden refused to do: Kiss the pope’s ring, a customary greeting when meeting an esteemed cleric. The pontiff ribbed the senator about his age as the two discussed everything from the politics of Eastern Europe to the spread of communism in Latin America. After waving them out of the room, John Paul pulled his chair out from behind his desk to sit closer to Biden. ![]() senator barely a year into his second term.Īccording to a Catholic News Service account of the encounter, the pope shooed away Vatican aides several times when they attempted to interrupt the 45-minute conversation. It was with a 37-year-old Joe Biden, a U.S. ![]() ![]() In spring of 1980, Pope John Paul II had one of the longest meetings of his fledgling papacy. ![]()
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