In this exclusive interview with Father Matt Malone, S.J., editor in chief of America, Vice President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. discusses his thoughts on Pope Francis, as well as his Catholic faith, his upbringing, his public life and private sorrow, and his thinking about a possible presidential campaign. The interview was conducted on September 17, 2015 in Washington, D.C. Mr. Biden refers in the full interview, below, to Father Malone’s published account of the death of his brother in an automobile accident in 1984.
Editors Note, Feb. 25, 2019: America has become aware that this article included extensive unattributed material from other sources. Accordingly, we have removed the text. For more material on this topic, read the original report from Catholic News Service, "Pope Francis For Year of Mercy, Pope Francis extends possibilities for absolution.”
Ankara and Istanbul were gray and cold, at least compared to Rome, during Pope Francis' Nov. 28-30 visit to Turkey. And the general reception, outside of the pope's official meetings, was hardly warmer. There were none of the enthusiastic crowds that usually greet him on his trips, no masses waving signs of welcome along his motorcade route or behind police barriers at the stops.