President Joe Biden made a surprise trip to the Holy See’s diplomatic mission in Washington, D.C., to sign a condolence book for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI.
Biden called the late pontiff “a brilliant scholar and truly Holy Man” in the book, according to the White House.
CROW MEETS JOE: BIDEN AND MCCONNELL’S TEMPORARY TRUCE
“Together with Roman Catholics across the United States, I join in mourning the passing of Pope Emeritus Benedict,” Biden wrote Thursday. “I will always cherish our time together at the Vatican when he was pope discussing Catholic theology.”
“He was a great theologian and I learned much in a few hours,” he added. “May his soul rest eternally with the Lord.”
The pope emeritus died last week at 95 from what the Holy See Press Office described as complications due to old age. His funeral in St. Peter’s Square this week was overseen by Pope Francis, the first time a current head of the Catholic Church has done so for a predecessor since 1802.
Biden caused confusion this week about why he did not attend the pontiff’s funeral when he engaged in a strange exchange with a reporter on the White House South Lawn.
“He was a more conservative view within the Catholic realm than I have,” the president said. “But I admired him. I thought he was a fine man.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
“No, the reason I’m not attending the funeral … is because it takes an entourage of a thousand people to show up — not literally,” he added. “People are sending mostly their apostolic delegates, their folks in Rome. That’s what we’re going to do. We would just get in the way.”
