Pope Francis became the first pontiff to address a G7 summit on Friday, raising an alarm about artificial intelligence, but his visit got off to a somewhat awkward start thanks to President Joe Biden.
The left-of-center pope, who is sometimes sarcastically called Pope Karl, as in Karl Marx, challenged world leaders to keep human dignity foremost in developing and using artificial intelligence, according to the Associated Press. Francis used his annual peace message this year to call for an international treaty to ensure AI is developed and used ethically.
Upon his arrival, Francis, who was seated in a wheelchair, greeted all the leaders. When he reached Biden, the 81-year-old president bent down to greet the pope and, for a split second, appeared to almost stumble into the pontiff’s lap. He ended up shockingly close, and the 87-year-old pontiff seemed to be taken by surprise when their foreheads appeared to touch.
Uncomfortably close is a Biden trademark, as he has a well-established reputation for “sniffing” children, but it seemed clear Pope Francis was not expecting a presidential whiff.
Interestingly, in reporting on the meeting, NBC News senior White House correspondent Gabe Gutierrez was quick to note that Biden is “a devout Catholic,” in spite of his staunch pro-abortion stance.
Here is video footage from Forbes of Pope Francis greeting those at the summit:
On a side note, Francis met with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy while at the summit. The pope said back in March that Ukraine should have the courage of the “white flag” and negotiate an end to the war with Russia. With war raging in Ukraine and Gaza, the pope told CBS News in April that “a negotiated peace is better than a war without end.”
“Countries at war, all of them, stop the war. Look to negotiate. Look for peace,” he said, without naming Ukraine.
As for Biden’s up close and personal greeting, social media users were not all that surprised, though some didn’t expect him to sniff a pope.
Here’s a quick sampling of responses to the story, as seen on the social media platform X:
From the video, it looks like Biden might have lost his balance when he leaned in.
— Kelley K (@KelleyKga) June 14, 2024
He’s trying to sniff an adult this time, instead of 10 year ord girls. That’s an improvement
— Svafnerson (@iamarawn) June 14, 2024
Pope looks like he prefers a little social distancing.
— Moderate to Severe (@Mod2Severe) June 14, 2024
He’s so creepy.
— Jude (@Judes_Law310) June 14, 2024
Don’t worry Francis, he sniffs everybody
— Christopher Fishell (@chieffishell) June 14, 2024
I don’t believe you are supposed to cuddle with the pope and sniff his hair.
— Currin Cooper (@currincooper) June 14, 2024
Joe even creeps him out and he’s creepy himself
— Sparky (@Sparky6461) June 14, 2024
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The longest-tenured writer at BizPac Review, Tom grew up in Maryland before moving to Central Florida as a young teen. It is in the Sunshine State that he honed both his passion for politics and his writing skills.
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