STATEMENT: CAP’s Maggie Siddiqi on the Meeting Between President Biden and Pope Francis

Washington, D.C. — Following the meeting between Pope Francis and President Joe Biden today at the Vatican, Maggie Siddiqi, senior director of the Faith and Progressive Policy Initiative at the Center for American Progress, released the following statement:

President Biden and Pope Francis understand the interconnected crises the world is facing and the need to take bold action to combat the climate crisis, end the COVID-19 pandemic, and build international solidarity against authoritarianism. It’s not only Catholics who should welcome this alliance for the common good, but people of all faiths and no faith who care about the future of our planet, public health, and democracy. While some naysayers will focus on the areas where the two leaders disagree, President Biden and Pope Francis seem clear-eyed that we can only make progress on our world’s most pressing issues by focusing on what unites us.

Related resources:

• “Secretary Julián Castro on President Biden’s Papal Visit” by Daniella Gibbs Léger, Chris Ford, Kelly McCoy, and Tricia Woodcome, Center for American Progress Action Fund
• “Recommendations for the Biden Administration on Engaging With Religious Communities by Maggie Siddiqi, Guthrie Graves-Fitzsimmons, and Joshua Russell
• “Religious Americans Demand Climate Action” by Guthrie Graves-Fitzsimmons and Maggie Siddiqi
• “Biden-Pope Francis visit couldn’t come at a better time,” by Guthrie Graves-Fitzsimmons and Maggie Siddiqi

For more information, or to speak with an expert, please contact Sam Hananel at [email protected]