Tim Daniels
(ZENIT News / Washington, D.C., 07.01.2023).- On the day that Benedict XVI’s funeral was held in the Vatican, US President Joe Biden visited the Apostolic Nunciature in Washington, D.C. While there, he signed the Book of Condolences in the presence of the Nuncio, Monsignor Christophe Pierre.
Here are the words the President wrote:
“Together with Catholics of the whole of the United States, I join the mourning on the death of Pope Emeritus Benedict. He was a brilliant erudite and a truly holy man. I will always remember the time we spent together in the Vatican when he was Pope, speaking of Catholic Theology. He was a great theologian and I learned a lot in just a few hours. May his soul rest eternally with the Lord.”
The day before, Wednesday, January 4, the President shared his impressions of the Pope Emeritus with journalists. He described him as a “good man” and recalled the time he spent with him. He also said that the Pope Emeritus had “a more conservative vision within the Catholic realm than mine.”
Finally, Biden revealed that he thought of attending the funeral but changed his mind when reflecting on the inconvenience his presence would have caused given the great quantity of security agents that accompany him.
