As world leaders flock to Rome for the G20 summit, President Joe Biden began a meeting with Catholic ally Pope Francis on Friday aimed at re-establishing US international credibility. The president left Washington with a spring in his move after unveiling a “historic” framework for a massive social spending plan – though it remains to be seen whether it can win the support of lawmakers.
After weeks of internal party feuds, and with his personal ratings plummeting, Biden wants to use this week’s twin summits in Europe – the G20 and UN climate talks in Glasgow – to prove his political clout.
He sees himself as a spokesman for democracy in the face of authoritarian regimes, especially China.
But he begins the visit on a more intimate note, landing in Rome early Friday, before he will head to the Vatican, which is expected to sit largely get-togethers with Pope Francis.
The only other Catholic president, Biden has been open about his faith and almost never misses Sunday Mass.
He has already met with the head of the world’s 1.3 billion Catholics three times, but this will be his first since the 78-year-old is elected president.
Spokesperson Jen Psaki said Wednesday that the White House expects talks to be “heated.”
Biden spoke about the strength he gained from his faith in the face of a series of mourning — after his first wife and their daughter were killed in a car accident, and his son Beau later died of cancer. has spoken.
He and the Pope share a range of concerns, from poverty to climate change and the coronavirus pandemic.
But if a leader should raise the red button issue of abortion, it is likely to fall.
Biden supports the right to choose, while 84-year-old Francis has termed pregnancies terminated as “murder”.
The pontiff has nonetheless distanced himself from a push by conservative US bishops to pro-abortion rights politicians – which would include Biden.
charm offensive
Following Francis, Biden crosses the Tiber to the center of the Eternal City to meet with Prime Minister Mario Draghi – the man, known as “Super Mario”, tasked with reforming Italy after the devastation of Covid-19 had gone.
The former head of the European Central Bank, famous for his efforts to save the euro from collapse, is being closely watched in Washington for his plans to get debt-ridden and politically corrupt Italy back on track.
But while Draghi is the new star of European politics, Biden seems to have lost some of his luster.
The president, who appears confident that his $1.75 trillion social spending plan is in the bag, hopes to use the G20 and COP26 climate summits to show the world “America is back”.
He will undoubtedly boast about the package, which includes “the most important investment ever to tackle the climate crisis” – $550 billion to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
Veteran foreign policy experts are determined to distance themselves from the unilateralism of former President Donald Trump, and will try to placate the tangled feathers.
After a chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan that vexed American allies, and a major dispute over nuclear-powered submarines, it will have to make some fence-reforms.
He may need to reserve his biggest attraction offensive for French President Emmanuel Macron, who is due to meet on Friday for the first time since a sub row.
Paris was furious last month after Australia struck a major deal to buy French submarines, saying it was negotiating a new defense deal with the US and Britain.
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