Biden and the Pope call for an “immediate” ceasefire in Gaza during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G7

The US thanks the Vatican for its efforts to alleviate “the humanitarian impacts” of the war in Ukraine

June 15 () –

The president of the United States, Joe Biden, met this Friday with the Pope, in a bilateral meeting that took place in the context of the G7 summit held in Italy, where they addressed the humanitarian crisis and the hostage situation. in Gaza, as well as the war in Ukraine.

“President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. met today with His Holiness Pope Francis on the sidelines of the G7 leaders’ summit,” the White House reported in a statement in which it explained that “the leaders have made emphasize the urgent need for an immediate ceasefire and a hostage agreement to bring them home and address the critical humanitarian crisis in Gaza.”

Likewise, Biden has conveyed to the Pontiff his gratitude for “the work of the Vatican to address the humanitarian impacts of Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine”, highlighting “its efforts to help return kidnapped Ukrainian children to their families.” .

The leader of the US Executive has also stressed the “deep appreciation” that the Pope’s actions awaken in him in favor of “the poor and those who suffer persecution, the effects of climate change and conflicts around the world”, whose defense he has described as “tireless”.

Francis, who has become the first Pope to participate in a G7 meeting, has also met – before giving his speech to all the political leaders present – with the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, within the framework of the total of ten bilateral meetings in which he has participated.

According to the Vatican Press Office, Francis arrived at the Borgo Egnazia resort at 12:10 p.m. and, according to Vatican News, he was received by the Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni.

The Pope began his political agenda with a meeting with the director of the IMF, Cristalina Georgiana, on a day in which he also had scheduled meetings with the French president, Emmanuel Macron, and the Canadian president, Justin Trudeau.

Pope Francis has been one of the most anticipated protagonists of the G7, which concludes this Saturday. His day began in the Vatican with a private audience with the president of the Republic of Cape Verde, José Maria Neves. Next, he had a meeting with more than 100 comedians from all over the world, among them the Spanish Cristina Castaño.

The meeting between Francis and Biden took place around 7:00 p.m. this Friday, before the Pope returns to the Vatican, this private meeting being the last in a series of meetings that have included the Turkish Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Brazilian Lula da Silva, the Algerian Abdelmadjid Tebboune or the Kenyan William Samoei Ruto.