Joe Biden reveals the Pope told him he is a 'good Catholic' and the pair didn't talk about abortion: President shared a joke with the pontiff about going for drinks after presenting him with a challenge coin during 75-minute meeting

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President Joe Biden got a 75-minute meeting with Pope Francis on Friday, longer than his two predecessors in the Oval Office

President Joe Biden revealed on Friday that Pope Francis told him he's a 'good Catholic' and that the two men did not discuss the controverial issue of abortion during their 75-minute sit down behind the closed doors of the Vatican.

He also said the pope told him to keep receiving communion. 

'We just talked about the fact he was happy that I was a good Catholic and I should keep receiving communion,' Biden said after the meeting.

Biden, the nation's second Catholic president, met with the pontiff amid pressure from conservative Catholics in the United States about his abortion stance.  

The U.S. Conference of Bishops is weighing whether to admonish Catholic politicians like Biden and Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who support a woman's right to an abortion - which Catholics consider a sin - yet also take Holy Communion at mass. 

Biden said he did not take communion Friday. Asked whether he and Pope Francis discussed the U.S. Conference of Bishops, the president replied that's a 'private conversation.' 

He also said that he and the pontiff exchanged prayers for one another. The president said he prayed for 'peace.' 

And he revealed Pope Francis blessed his son Beau's rosary beads that he wears around his wrist. Beau Biden died in 2015 from brain cancer.

He said they talked about climate change, including the 'need' and 'moral responsibility' to deal with it during their meeting. 

Biden's time with the pope on Friday was longer than either of his two predecessors' with the pontiff.

Biden, the nation's second Catholic president, was scheduled to be with the Pontiff for only an hour but received extra time. In 2017, Francis met then President Donald Trump for 30 minutes and, in 2014, Francis met with then President Barack Obama for 52 minutes. Biden's meeting with Pope John Paul, in 1980, in contrast, was only 45 minutes. 

The meeting was 'wonderful,' Biden told reporters afterwards.  

During their meeting, Biden presented Francis a woven chasuble, or liturgical vestment, made in 1930 by the famed papal tailor Gamarelli and used by the pope's Jesuit order in the U.S., where it was held in the archives of Holy Trinity Church, Biden's regular parish in Washington. President John F. Kennedy, the first Catholic U.S. president, also worshipped at Holy Trinity.

'I hope you find this gift from the United States appropriate,' Biden said. 

Biden also presented the pope with a presidential challenge coin.

'I'm not sure this is appropriate, but there's a tradition in America. That the president has what is called a command coin,' the president explained.

Biden said it was meant for 'warriors and leaders.'

'And you are the most significant warrior for peace I've ever met,' Biden told the pope.

The president said that while the U.S. seal adorned the front of it, the back was unique.

'But I know my son would want me to give this to you because on the back of it I have the state of Delaware and the 261st, the unit my son served with,' he said, referencing the late Beau Biden and his service in Iraq with the Delaware Army National Guard.

'The tradition is, and I'm only kidding about this, the next time I see you you don't have it, you have to buy the drinks,' Biden continued. 'I'm the only Irishman you've ever met who's never had a drink,' the president added.

The pope spoke back to Biden in Italian, though was heard making a joke about whiskey.  

Meanwhile, Pope Francis, 84, gave Biden, 78, a ceramic tile depicting the iconography of the pilgrim, as well as a collection of the pope´s main teaching documents, the Vatican said.    

Pope Francis and President Joe Biden met for 75 minutes at the Vatican on Friday

President Biden and Pope Francis with their translators at their private meeting

President Biden presented Pope Francis with a presidential challenge coin

President Joe Biden, first lady Jill Bide and Pope Francis during their private meeting at the Holy See - the Vatican released pictures of the meeting after it ended

President Biden, first lady Jill Biden, and Pope Francis with the American and papal delegations

During their meeting, Biden gave Pope Francis a handwoven chasuble from 1930 from Holy Trinity Church in DC, where he often goes to Mass. An accompanying note says as gift to pope, the White House also will donate winter clothing to charities as part of World Day for the Poor

President Biden and Pope Francis during their meeting at the Holy See

Monsignor Leonardo Sapienza (right) welcomes President Joe Biden (center) and First Lady Jill Biden (left) to the Vatican Friday for their meeting with Pope Francis

The Pope's gentlemen (right) greet President Joe Biden (second from left) and First Lady Jill Biden (left) upon their arrival Friday at the Vatican 

President Joe Biden (center) and First Lady Jill Biden (left) arrive at the San Damaso courtyard at the Vatican in Rome 

First Lady Jill Biden wore a traditional mantilla veil with an animal print dark suit

'I'm Jill's husband,' President Joe Biden said introducing himself to the Papal gentlemen

The motorcade of President Joe Biden drives across the Via della Conciliazione in Rome. The motorcade was 85 cars long, due to Italy's COVID-19 restrictions

The Swiss Guards prepare for the arrival of President Joe Biden for a meeting with Pope Francis at the Vatican

President Joe Biden arrives in the San Damaso courtyard in the Vatican for his planned meeting with Pope Francis

Jill Biden leaves the Holy See after the meeting with Pope Francis

Pope Francis adjusts his face masks as he leaves his meeting with President Biden

President Joe Biden's motorcade was 85 cars long due to Italy's COVID-19 restrictions

People line the streets of Rome along the motorcade route of President Joe Biden 

What is a challenge coin and what does it mean? 

President Joe Biden presented Pope Francis with a gold ‘challenge coin’ during their meeting – and explained its meaning in rough terms.

‘Now the tradition is – I'm only kidding about this – the next time I see you, if you don't have it you have to buy the drinks. I'm the only Irishman you've ever met who's never had a drink,’ Biden quipped.

Biden often gives challenge coins when he travels

Biden was informing the Pope about a practice he frequently takes part in.

Challenge coins are popular with members of the military, service organizations and law enforcement. They sometimes represent military units or even particular military missions.

When Biden travels, he often carries challenge coins with him, presenting them to military greeters or people he meets at events. He will sometimes bust out a coin if someone makes a personal connection with him or shares their story.

Biden’s coin has an image on one side of Delaware’s 261st National Guard regiment, on which his late son Beau served.

Prior presidents including Bill Clinton and Donald Trump had challenge coins made. Trump's said 'Make America Great Again.' 

The presidential challenge coins are meant as keepsakes. Technically, there is also a ‘challenge’ aspect.

A member of the group of  coin-holders may at any point brandish his or her own coin as a ‘challenge’ to other members. If they fail to have it on them, depending on informal rules, they may be obliged to buy a round of drinks who have a coin with them.

 

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First Lady Jill Biden joined her husband for the closed-door meeting at the Vatican. She left when it was over - as did Pope Francis - but Biden stayed for an extended bilateral meeting with senior Vatican officials.

'It's good to be back,' the president told one of the Papal gentlemen upon his arrival at the Holy See. 'I'm Jill's husband,' he also said, which is one of his trademark greetings. 

The notoriously late president arrived on time for the noon gathering.  He wore a dark suit and tie while Jill Biden donned a traditional black lace mantilla head covering for the occasion along with a dark suit with an animal print pattern on it.

In an edited video released by the Vatican, the president can be heard introducing the pope to members of his staff.

'You just made he a hero letting me introduce her,' Biden said after presenting the pope to Annie Tomasini, the director of Oval Office Operations.

Biden introduced Dr. Amanda Sloat, the senior director for Europe at the National Security Council, by telling the pope, 'Things you should know about this woman, she knows more about foreign policy than I do and she's smarter than I.'

He shared the military accolades of Dr. Kevin O'Connor with the pope and then explained he was the physician to the president.

'They assign me a doctor,' Biden explained.

When it was acting Chief of Protocol Asel Roberts' turn, Biden joked: 'She tries to keep me in line.'

The meeting comes after the Vatican abruptly canceled a planned live broadcast of the meeting - and White House reporters were left standing outside in the courtyard.  

The Vatican press office provided no explanation for why press coverage was limited to the president's motorcade arriving in the courtyard of the Apostolic Palace, where Monsignor Leonardo Sapienza, the head of Papal Household, greeted him. 

The footage and photos of Biden and the Pope meeting in the palace throne room was provided by the Vatican, which edited the footage before it was publicly released.

The Bidens' motorcade to the Vatican was 85 cars long, due to Italian COVID-19 rules, which only allow four people per vehicle.   

The president was accompanied by senior officials including Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, among others.  

Biden, a devout Catholic, attends weekly Mass and on Catholic holy days. He carries rosary beads that belonged to his deceased son Beau and he keeps a photo of himself and the Pope behind his desk in the Oval Office in the first row of pictures next to ones with his family.

It's the fourth time the two men have met and was Biden's first stop on his five-day trip to Europe. He'll also attend the G20 meeting in Rome over the weekend before heading to Scotland on Monday for the UN Climate Summit known was COP26.

Biden's sitdown with Pope Francis comes as his administration is fighting Texas' abortion law, the most restrictive law in the nation, which bans abortion once a fetal heartbeat can be detected and that is normally after six weeks and before many women even know they are pregnant. 

In mid-November the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops will convene in Baltimore to debate whether Catholic politicians who support abortion rights should be admonished for receiving Communion. 

Biden talked about his relationship with Pope Francis last October when he addressed the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Dinner, doing so from Wilmington's Queen theater because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. 

Biden talked about his first meeting with Pope Francis during the Pope's 2013 inauguration at the Vatican when Biden was vice president.

'When I greeted him he said, 'Mr. Vice President you're always welcome here,'' Biden said. 'He was really sending a message to the world to put out a welcome sign in the front door of our church.'

The Swiss Guards prepare for the arrival of President Joe Biden for a meeting with Pope Francis at the Vatican

A handout from the Italian State Police shows snipers on a rooftop in Rome near the Vatican, as world leaders flock to the city for the G20. President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden visited with Pope Francis at noon on Friday 

President Joe Biden, a devout Catholic, keeps a photo of himself and Pope Francis on his desk in the Oval Office, it can be seen above to the left of the president

President Biden and First Lady Jill touched down in Rome at 2:30 am local time

Then Vice President Joe Biden (left) and Pope Francis (right), with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell standing behind them, wave from a balcony at the U.S. Capitol after the Pope addressed a joint-session of Congress in September 2015 

In June, the divided U.S. Conference of Bishiops voted to draft a statement on communion that some bishops say should specifically admonish these Catholic politicians, including Biden, the second Catholic president after John F. Kennedy. They did so despite warning from the Vatican such a move could sow seeds of discord. The bishops will discuss the issue further at their November gathering.

Biden takes communion. He has said he is personally opposed to abortion but cannot impose his views as an elected leader. 

Pope Francis has strongly upheld the church's opposition to abortion, calling it 'murder.'  

Biden also met with His Eminence Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State, while at the Vatican.  

Then-Vice President Joe Biden shakes hands with Pope Francis in September 2015 when the pope addressed a joint session of Congress

Pope Francis (left) greets then Vice President Joe Biden (right) at the Vatican in April 2016, before President Donald Trump was elected. Biden's son Hunter (second from right) and son-in-law Howard Krein (center) stand along his side 

Biden also mentioned Pope Francis' trip to the White House in 2015 - when he was in office with President Barack Obama - saying that like his visit to the Vatican in 2013, it gave him the sense of 'hope and possibility together.'

'And for me it came at a very personal moment, a very tough time in the life of my family. Our son Beau had just died a few months earlier,' Biden said. 'Pope Francis took the time to meet with my entire family to help us see the light through the darkness.'

Biden, as vice president, also traveled to the Vatican in April 2016 for a stem cell conference.  

At the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Dinner, Biden said that his friendship with Pope Francis was proof that 'anything is possible' in the U.S.

'I live in an amazing country, we all live in an amazing country,' Biden said. 'Where an Irish-Catholic kid like me from Scranton, Pennsylvania would one day befriend a Jesuit Pope.'

'But that's who we are as a country,' Biden said.  

Past presidential meetings with popes 

Here are some notable moments from past presiential meetings with pontifs:

-President John F. Kennedy´s 1963 meeting with Pope Paul VI at the Vatican was historic: The first Roman Catholic president of the United States was seeing the Roman Catholic pontiff only days after his coronation. Kennedy, who faced anti-Catholic bias during his presidential campaign, shook hands with the pope rather than kissing his ring, as is the usual practice for Catholics.

-Pope Paul VI´s trip to New York in October 1965 presented protocol problems. President Lyndon Johnson wanted to see him, but the pontiff was a chief of a state not officially recognized by the U.S. The solution: Johnson flew to New York for dinner at the apartment of his friend Arthur Goldberg, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, and the pontiff was welcomed to Johnson´s suite at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel the next day.

-Johnson had a penchant for somewhat odd papal presents. At that 1965 meeting, his gifts to Paul included a silver-framed, autographed photograph of himself. Two years later, at their next meeting at the Vatican, Johnson presented the pontiff with a foot-high bust of himself.

-Jimmy Carter was the first president to play host to a pope at the White House. Pope John Paul II's stay at the White House featured 10,000 guests -- split between separate arrival and departure ceremonies on the North and South Lawns.

-President Ronald Reagan had trouble keeping his eyes open on his first visit to the Vatican in 1982. Reagan´s head bobbed and his eyes repeatedly closed for seconds at a time while John Paul talked solemnly of crises in the Falkland Islands and Lebanon. The incident came during a 10-day European trip with a packed schedule for Reagan. But it fed already rampant talk that the 71-year-old president wasn´t physically up to the job.

-Reagan sparked controversy over the separation of church and state in 1984 by establishing formal U.S. diplomatic relations with the Vatican, a long desire of the Holy See. Shortly afterward, Reagan and John Paul met during refueling stops at the airport in Fairbanks, Alaska (their paths were crossing as one finished and one began trips to Asia). The Alaska stop generated lots of excitement, but also scores of T-shirts reading 'The Pope Meets the Dope.'

-For his last of four meetings with Pope John Paul, President Bill Clinton flew to St. Louis to greet the pontiff as he began a U.S. tour. Back in Washington, the Senate was in the throes of its impeachment trial against Clinton, and John Paul said 'America faces a time of trial.' But it was generally assumed that the pontiff, who also challenged Americans to 'a higher moral vision,' was speaking about his long-running and sharp dispute with Clinton over the president's support for abortion rights.

-At George W. Bush´s last meeting with John Paul, at the Vatican in June 2004, he presented the pope with the Medal of Freedom, the nation´s highest civilian honor. The pontiff responded by reading a statement about his 'grave concern' over events in Iraq, where the U.S.-led war had been going on for just over a year.

-After John Paul died in 2005, Bush became the first sitting U.S. president to attend a papal funeral.

-At his first audience with John Paul´s successor, Pope Benedict XVI, Bush´s overly casual behavior was noted by many Italians and Vatican watchers. He addressed the pope as 'sir,' rather than the customary 'your holiness,' and leaned far back in his chair with one leg thrown informally over another, instead of the ramrod-straight physical posture more commonly seen in the pontiff´s presence. Rome´s ANSA agency flashed a 'Gaffe Presidente' headline.

-For Benedict´s first U.S. tour as pope, there were several presidential firsts: Bush traveled to Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland to meet the pontiff´s plane, brought the largest crowd of his presidency to the South Lawn for Benedict´s arrival ceremony, and hosted a dinner in the pope´s honor that Benedict didn't attend.

-Former President Barack Obama met with Pope Francis twice, once at the Vatican in 2014 and again during the pope´s 2015 visit to the U.S., where Obama met Francis on the tarmac at Andrews and played host in the Oval Office. Before 11,000 people on the South Lawn of the White House, Obama praised the pope as a 'living example of Jesus´ teachings,' while Francis lauded Obama for his commitment to addressing climate change.

-Former President Donald Trump had a famously prickly relationship with Pope Francis. The two sparred during the 2016 campaign, with Francis taking a veiled swipe at Trump by declaring that people who think only of building barriers instead of bridges are 'not Christian.' Trump, who campaigned on building a wall at the U.S.-Mexico border, called the comments 'disgraceful' and suggested the Mexican government was using Francis as a pawn. When the two met at the Vatican in 2017, photos showed a stone-faced Francis standing next to a grinning Trump. The president later said their meeting had been 'fantastic.'

- The Associated Press 

In this July 2, 1963, file photo President John F. Kennedy and Pope Paul VI talk at the Vatican. Kennedy's meeting with Pope Paul VI at the Vatican was historic: the first Roman Catholic president of the United States was seeing the Roman Catholic pontiff only days after his coronation

In this March 27, 2014 file photo, Pope Francis and President Barack Obama smile as they meet at the Vatican

In this June 13, 2008, file photo, Pope Benedict XVI and President George W. Bush walk in the Vatican Gardens during their meeting at the Vatican

In this May 24, 2017, file photo Pope Francis meets with President Donald Trump on the occasion of their private audience, at the Vatican