|
Blinken is the highest-ranking Biden administration official the
pontiff has met since the inauguration in January.
He held private talks with Pope Francis in the Vatican's
Apostolic Palace after having a separate meeting with Secretary
of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Archbishop Paul Gallagher,
the Vatican's foreign minister.
There was no immediate word on the details of the talks but
Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said the atmosphere was cordial.
The visit follows a conference at which U.S. Roman Catholic
bishops voted to draft a statement on Communion that may
admonish Catholic politicians, including Biden, who support a
woman's right to abortion despite opposing the practice
personally..
The bishops decided to move forward with the document, mostly
disregarding a Vatican warning that it would be highly divisive.
Bruni said the meeting "was an occasion for the pope to
reminisce about his 2015 trip (to the United States) and to
express his affection for and attention to, the people of the
United States of America."
The Vatican and the Biden administration agree on the dangers of
climate change, which was a main point of contention with the
White House while Donald Trump was president.
Trump was dismissive of the problem as he dismantled climate
policies and regulations on fossil fuels.
The pope criticised Trump's withdrawal of the United States from
the 2015 Paris accord to limit global warming. The Vatican
welcomed Biden's return to the accord.
Francis, who in May received Biden's climate envoy John Kerry
has urged nations to work together to save the planet.
(Humeyra Pamuk reporting from Rome; Editing by Angus MacSwan)
[© 2021 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2021 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
|
|
