Vice President Joe Biden used his Friday meeting with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican Secretary of State, to talk about a $10 bet he lost with a reporter from the New York Times.
“I had to pay this man $10. He’s from the New York Times,” Biden told Parolin just after his private meeting with Pope Francis, according to a White House pool report. “We had a bet: which is the faster car, the newer Cadillac or the new Musk car. Which?”
The pool reporter, Gardiner Harris from the the New York Times responded: “Tesla.”
“The Tesla. I bet the Cadillac,” Biden said, to Harris, who responded: “He went for the old technology. I went for the new.”
“Oh yes?” Parolin said.
“The Tesla’s two tenths of a second faster. But I lost. I paid my $10,” Biden said. “I want the record to show, I paid my $10.”
Another reporter said, “Does that count as a confession, sir?”
“I’m seeking absolution!” Biden said.
The pool report noted that while betting is not a sin, it is discouraged by religious authorities. The report also said Cardinal Parolin seemed unconcerned either way.
