President Joe Biden has awarded Pope
Francis the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the country's highest
civilian honour.
The honour specifically came "with distinction", with the
pontiff becoming the first person to receive the added level of
honour by Biden during his term in office, the White House said
Saturday.
"The first pope from the Southern Hemisphere, Pope Francis is
unlike any who came before," the White House wrote in a
statement.
"Above all, he is the People's Pope — a light of faith, hope,
and love that shines brightly across the world."
The White House said Biden spoke with the pontiff to tell him
about the award.
Biden and the pope were supposed to meet over the weekend before
the US president had to cancel a trip to the Vatican and Rome to
stay and monitor the devastating wildfires in California.
The pair last met at a G7 summit held in June in Puglia where
they spoke about the ongoing wars in Ukraine and Gaza.
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