Biden WILL meet the Pope during the G7 in Italy... despite the president's abortion rights push

President Joe Biden will meet with Pope Francis at the G7 summit in Italy, the White House finally confirmed hours before the start of the event.

Pope Francis had already been listed as attending a G7 session on Artificial Intelligence in the country's Apulia region, raising the prospect he would again meet with the nation's second Catholic president.

When they last met in October 2021, Biden told Pope Francis he was a ‘warrior for peace.’ Much has changed since then, and now the two men are set to huddle amid two brutal wars, as Biden battles for reelection by rallying behind the flag of abortion rights.

In a reelection bid where he trails Donald Trump in the polls, the abortion issue could motivate Biden's base. The issue has sparked intense passions and driven voter turnout in states that put abortion measures on the ballot since the Supreme Court's 2022 decision striking down Roe v. Wade.

'A vote for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris is a vote to restore Roe, and a vote for Donald Trump is a vote to ban abortion across the country,' Biden campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez said earlier this year, underlining the importance of the issue. 'These are the stakes in 2024.'

The pope has called abortion 'murder' and said he respects the Supreme Court's decision, but he has also called out some conservatives in the U.S. Catholic Church for 'backwardness' and lamented that 'ideologies replace faith.'

The Vatican had announced the 87-year-old pope would attend the AI session this spring.  

Biden, 81, has also warned of the risks posed by AI, and took steps to keep China from acquiring the most sophisticated AI technology from US companies.

Their 2021 meeting at the Vatican was vintage Biden. The new Catholic president gave the Pope a challenge coin, joked about who would buy the drinks at their next meeting, and told a story about Satchell Paige.

‘You are the most significant warrior for peace I’ve ever met,’ Biden told Pope Francis, speaking to a translator who was with them.

‘And with your permission I’d like to be able to give you a coin. The tradition is, and I’m only kidding about this. Next time I see you, if you don’t have it, you’ll have to buy the drinks. I’m the only Irishman you’ve ever met who’s never had a drink.’

Biden’s jokes set a jovial tone for the relationship, and the Pope asked first lady Jill Biden to pray for him.

But they have some things to disagree on as the politics over the war in Gaza, abortion, and immigration evolve.

Francis this spring called for an immediate cease fire in Gaza, even as the U.S. continued to arm the Israeli Defense Force.

‘I hope that the peace proposals on all fronts that have been presented and for the release of hostages will be accepted immediately for the sake of the Palestinians and Israelis.’

The two men held a 20-minute phone call days after the Hamas attack inside Israel. They spoke about ‘situations of conflict in the world and the need to identify paths to peace,’ according to the Vatican.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby dodged a question Tuesday during a briefing with reporters when asked about a potential pope meeting.

‘You’ll hear more from [national security advisor Jake Sullivan] tomorrow on details about the agenda,’ he said. The announcement was later confirmed overnight in an official schedule.

It also notes that Biden will meet with Italian PM Giorgia Meloni and will view a skydiving demonstration. He plans to leave Italy Friday after two days of meetings, having made a quick surprise trip to Wilmington after a jury found son Hunter guilty on gun charges. 

The president's most substantial interaction with the press will come during a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday evening.

That will allow Biden to talk about multilateral initiatives to aid Ukraine in its defense, including reported plans to steer as much as $50 billion in interest from seized Russian assets to Ukraine.

It will have the side effect of limiting reporters' opportunities to hit Biden with questions about a Delaware jury finding his son Hunter guilty on gun charges.

The traditional two-leader format usually allows for just two questions from each nation's press corps. The White House cancelled a scheduled White House press briefing Tuesday as the news came down and Biden decided to fly home to Wilmington to see his son.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre is scheduled to brief reporters en route to Italy.