Pope Francis greets trustworthy throughout a go to to the French island of Corsica on Dec. 15. President Biden has awarded Pope Francis the Presidential Medal of Freedom with distinction.
Alessandra Tarantino/AP
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Alessandra Tarantino/AP
President Biden awarded the nation’s highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, to Pope Francis on Saturday.
The distinction particularly got here “with distinction,” turning into the primary particular person to obtain the added degree of honor by Biden.
In a press release, the White Home counseled Pope Francis for his dedication to serving the poor, in addition to advocating for peace and defending the planet.
“A loving pastor, he joyfully solutions youngsters’s questions on God. A difficult trainer, he instructions us to combat for peace and defend the planet. A welcoming chief, he reaches out to totally different faiths. The primary pope from the Southern Hemisphere, Pope Francis is in contrast to any who got here earlier than,” the assertion learn.
It concluded: “Above all, he’s the Individuals’s Pope — a lightweight of religion, hope, and love that shines brightly internationally.”
Biden is the second Catholic president in U.S. historical past. However in contrast to John F. Kennedy, who was identified for downplaying his religion, Biden has embraced it.
The president and the pope have had rapport for a few years, stretching again to earlier than Biden’s rise to the presidency. They met thrice when Biden was vp. Through the transition, the 2 additionally spoke over the cellphone and Biden has often cited Pope Francis in his speeches.
Pope Francis, flanked by Vice President Joe Biden and Home Speaker John Boehner of Ohio, waves to the group on Capitol Hill in Washington as they stand on the Speaker’s Balcony on Capitol Hill, after the pope addressed a joint assembly of Congress in September 2015.
Susan Walsh/AP
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Susan Walsh/AP
Though the president labored to increase entry to abortion whereas in workplace, placing him at odds with the Catholic Church, Biden and the pope typically centered on the problems they agreed on, together with addressing local weather change and the risk posed by rising nationalism.
The president was scheduled to journey to the Vatican this weekend, however canceled the journey to watch the wildfires in Southern California.
In accordance with the White Home, Biden and Pope Francis spoke over the cellphone on Saturday. Additionally they mentioned efforts to “advance peace world wide, together with Pope Francis’ work to alleviate struggling for susceptible communities,” the White Home stated.
Pope Francis is the third pope to obtain the medal. Pope John XXIII was posthumously acknowledged by President Lyndon Johnson in 1963, and Pope John Paul II was honored by President George W. Bush in 2004.
Biden awarded the Medal of Freedom to 19 prominent figures last weekend, together with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Michael J. Fox, Denzel Washington, Argentine soccer star Lionel Messi, conservationist Jane Goodall and William Sanford Nye, also referred to as “Invoice Nye the Science Man.”
