White House: Pope Francis ‘Has Spoken Differently’ than Biden on Abortion

Pope Francis has previously called abortion “murder,” compared abortion to “hiring a hitman,” said that unborn victims of abortion bear the face of Jesus, and decried efforts to promote abortion as an “essential service” during the pandemic.

Pope Francis greets then-U.S. Vice President Joe Biden at the Vatican in this April 29, 2016.
Pope Francis greets then-U.S. Vice President Joe Biden at the Vatican in this April 29, 2016. (photo: Vatican Media / Vatican Media)

WASHINGTON — Ahead of President Joe Biden’s Oct. 29 meeting with Pope Francis, a White House spokeswoman acknowledged on Wednesday that “the Pope has spoken differently” than Biden on abortion.

Biden, a Catholic, “is somebody who stands up for and believes that a woman’s right to choose is important,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said at an Oct. 27 briefing with reporters.

“The Pope has spoken differently,” she added, in response to a question by EWTN News Nightly White House correspondent Owen Jensen.

Pope Francis will meet with President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden on Friday at the Vatican.

Psaki on Wednesday said that areas of agreement between the two will feature as the “centerpiece” of Friday’s meeting, including the issues of “poverty, combating the climate crisis, ending the COVID-19 pandemic.”

“These are all hugely important, impactful issues that will be the centerpiece of what their discussion is when they meet,” she added.

Pope Francis has previously called abortion “murder,” compared abortion to “hiring a hitman,” said that unborn victims of abortion bear the face of Jesus, and decried efforts to promote abortion as an “essential service” during the pandemic.

Biden and his administration have taken a number of steps to either fund abortion outright or loosen regulations against funding of pro-abortion groups.

He pushed for taxpayer-funded abortion in Medicare by excluding the Hyde amendment from his FY 2022 budget request to Congress. In a Jan. 28 executive order, Biden repealed the Mexico City Policy, allowing for U.S. funding of international pro-abortion groups. His administration has changed regulations to allow funding of abortion providers in the Title X family planning program.

When Texas’ pro-life “heartbeat” law went into effect on Sept. 1, Biden promised a “whole-of-government” response to maintain legal abortion in Texas. The Justice Department filed a lawsuit in federal court over the law, and the Department of Health and Human Services announced increased family planning funding of groups impacted by the Texas law.

In addition, Biden has issued statements supporting legal abortion in the United States and internationally.

Later in Wednesday’s briefing, Psaki expounded upon the president’s “faith” when asked about the meeting at the Vatican.

"I think the president’s faith, as you well know, is quite personal to him. His faith has been a source of strength through various tragedies that he has lived through in his life,” she said, noting that “he attends church every weekend.”

“We certainly expect it to be a warm meeting,” she said.  

Newly-elected Pope Francis bows his head in prayer as he appears on the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica on March 13, 2013, in Vatican City.

The 10th Anniversary of Pope Francis’ Pontificate (March 18)

Ten years ago on March 13, the 265th Successor of Peter walked out for the first time onto the Balcony of Blessing at St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican. Before he gave his customary first blessing as the new Bishop of Rome, he asked for a “favor” — that is, for us to pray for him. His 10th anniversary reminds us that we should renew our prayers for our Holy Father. On today’s show Register columnist Father Raymond J. De Souza examines the highlights and lowlights of Pope Francis’ pontificate and then, along with Register Senior Editor Jonathan Liedl, we look at one of Francis’ biggest challenges: the German Synodal Way.