On Thursday, Pope Francis and the Barack Obama the President of the United States had their first meeting that offered an opportunity to reset some things between the Catholic leadership and the White House administration following a number of years of relations that have been strained.
The two leaders met in Vatican City and greeted one another with a handshake and smile and posed for photos prior to speaking at a table across from one another.
The meeting’s goal was to focus on certain areas where two of the most influential men in the world are in agreement and gently tread towards ground where there exist differences.
The thought was the topics would remain most in the areas where there is agreement between the administration and the Vatican. Pope Francis was expected to speak about immigration, as well as his concerns regarding contraception as it pertains to the Affordable Care Act.
When speaking to an Italian newspaper about income inequality, Obama said when the Pope speaks it has enormous weight. The President said it was not only an economic issue, but also a moral one.
Obama said he admired the courage the Pope had in speaking out on social and economic issues.
The two met only two days after arguments were heard by the U.S. Supreme Court on a mandate for contraception that is included in the signature healthcare reform law by Obama.
The current law exempts houses of worship and churches from the requirement. However, nonprofit groups that are religiously affiliated must either provide contraception coverage for employees directly or via an insurer who is a third party insurer.
That provision has been opposed vocally by the Conference of Catholic Bishops in the U.S., said a spokesperson for that organization.
Wednesday the White House administration renewed a call to the public for reform in immigration by supporting the effort by Democrats in the House to force the chamber to vote on the legislation.
