Vatican dials back live TV coverage of Biden greeting pope
ROME — The Vatican on Thursday abruptly canceled the planned live broadcast of President Joe Biden meeting Pope Francis, the latest restriction to media coverage of the Holy See that sparked complaints from White House- and Vatican-accredited journalists.
The live broadcast of Biden’s visit Friday was trimmed to cover the arrival of the president’s motorcade in the courtyard of the Apostolic Palace. Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said the revised plan reflected the “normal procedure” established during the coronavirus pandemic for all visiting heads of state or government.
Canceled was the live coverage of Biden greeting Francis in the palace Throne Room, as well as the live footage of the two men sitting down to begin their private talks in Francis’ library, at which time the cameras would have stopped running.
The Vatican said it would provide edited footage of the encounter after the fact to accredited media, as it provides for other visiting heads of state. Bruni didn’t say why the Vatican had originally announced broader live coverage only to dial it back on the eve of the visit.
Biden, the second Catholic U.S. president, has met Francis three times, but this will be his first as president.
The audience was being closely monitored since U.S. bishops are due to meet in a few weeks for their annual fall convention, with one of the agenda items inspired by conservatives who contend that Biden’s support for abortion rights should disqualify him from receiving Communion. Francis has upheld the church’s opposition to abortion, calling it “murder.” But he has said bishops should be pastors, not politicians.
The Vatican has provided live television coverage for the visits of major heads of state for years and had scheduled such coverage Friday for Biden and for South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who is also in Rome for a Group of 20 meeting.
A live broadcast was particularly important because the Vatican hasn’t allowed independent photographers and journalists into papal audiences with visiting leaders since the start of the pandemic.