Obama has repeatedly praised the pope for his compassion and emphasis on helping the poor, and the meeting could help to give impetus to some of his initiatives back home, such as boosting the middle class and helping low-income Americans succeed.
U.S. President Barack Obama highlighted growing gaps between rich and poor ahead of his first meeting on Thursday with Pope Francis, an event that was expected to focus on the fight against poverty and skirt moral controversies over abortion and gay rights.
In an interview with Thursday's Italian daily Corriere della Sera,
Obama said Francis's "great moral authority" had added weight to calls
to redress the increasing imbalance between the winners and losers of
globalisation and economic change.
"In the United States over the last few decades, we've seen a growing
gap between the income of those at the very top and the income of the
typical family," he said.
"But this isn't just a problem for the United States, it's a problem
for countries around the world. And it isn't just an economic issue,
it's a moral issue."
As he arrived at the Vatican, Obama and his delegation were led past
the ceremonial Swiss Guard through a richly frescoed hall before being
escorted into a room where he and the pope shook hands warmly.
Since his election a year ago, Pope Francis has several times
criticised unbridled capitalism, the excesses laid bare by the global
financial crisis, and the growing gap between the rich and poor, even in
developed countries.
Obama has repeatedly praised the pope for his compassion and emphasis
on helping the poor, and the meeting could help to give impetus to some
of his initiatives back home, such as boosting the middle class and
helping low-income Americans succeed.
In the interview, Obama said globalisation and greater trade and
commerce had lifted hundreds of millions of people out of poverty in
recent decades. "But the pope is correct when he says that not enough
people are sharing in that progress, and too many people are being left
behind."
The centre of Rome was blocked off for Obama's visit, which was to
include a meeting with Italian President Giorgio Napolitano and Prime
Minister Matteo Renzi later in the day.
When Obama met Francis's predecessor, Pope Benedict, in 2009, Benedict
raised the matter of abortion, a sensitive issue for many U.S. Catholics
as the Church considers abortion a grievous sin. Obama promised to do
everything he could to reduce the number of abortions.
Francis, while giving no hint of changes to church doctrine, has used
softer language than his predecessor on the rights of women and gays, a
stance that has also resonated with Obama, who counted on both groups to
help propel him to the presidency in 2008 and 2012. Source :NY Daily News
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