Biden meets with Pope and Macron ahead of G20 summit

It was a Friday full of key meetings for President Biden in Rome as he started his second major international trip ahead of the G20 summit and COP26 international climate talks.

The first order of business was meeting with Pope Francis at the Vatican. As a deeply religious Catholic, this visit was personal and significant for Biden. It was the fourth meeting between Biden and Francis, and lasted 90 minutes, which was almost twice as long as Biden's meeting with Pope John Paul II in the 1980s when he was a young senator.

Biden cracked jokes with Pope Francis during their meeting and at one point presented him with a special coin that bore the insignia of the 261st Signal Brigade, the Delaware National Guard unit in which his late son Beau served as a captain. "I know my son would want me to give it to you," Biden said. In 2015, the Pope privately counseled Biden and members of his family in the months following Beau Biden's death.

Pope Francis and 10 Papal Gentlemen also met with a larger US delegation, including the President, first lady Jill Biden, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and others, according to the White House.

Following the meeting with the Pope, Biden said Francis told him he was pleased he was a "good Catholic," and that he should continue receiving communion, despite opposition from some conservative American bishops over his support for abortion.

After departing the Vatican, Biden then met with Italian President Sergio Mattarella and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi separately.

In his last meeting of the day, Biden met French President Emmanuel Macron at the French Embassy in Rome. The location of their sitdown was intentional, according to sources, because it signaled a concession from the White House, given the backdrop of the current US-France diplomatic clash over a deal with Australia that cost the French billions of dollars.

Biden admitted that the move was "clumsy" and "not done with a lot of grace."

In his response, Macron emphasized the importance of "stronger coordination" going forward, indicating that he wanted look beyond and tackle the challenges that will be discussed at the G20 summit set to begin tomorrow in Rome and the COP26 world leaders' summit early next week in Glasgow.

CNN's Maegan Vazquez and Kevin Liptak contributed reporting to this post. 

President Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron issued a joint statement following today’s meeting in Rome, where the two met “to reaffirm their commitment to closer bilateral and transatlantic cooperation in the pursuit of peace, security, and prosperity around the globe.”

Per the two leaders, today’s bilateral “built on the in-depth consultations announced in their September 22 joint statement aimed at creating the conditions for ensuring confidence.”

Macron and Biden spoke on Sept. 22 after a diplomatic crisis over the US’s AUKUS agreement with Australia and the UK prompted the French to recall their ambassador to the US for a week. In a joint statement between the United States and France afterward, Macron and Biden "agreed that the situation would have benefitted from open consultations among allies on matters of strategic interest to France and our European partners."

Today, the two also agreed to launch a new “US-France Bilateral Clean Energy Partnership” by end of the year aimed at pursuing “a sustainable global economic recovery, based on a fair, inclusive, and rules-based global economy.” Also on the horizon: an agreement to “intensify cooperation” on space issues, which they promise to offer more details on when Vice President Kamala Harris travels to France next month. 

In today’s joint statement, Macron and Biden both reiterated support for the “indivisible security of the NATO Alliance,” warning “a credible and united nuclear Alliance is essential” amidst what they call a “deteriorating security environment in Europe.” 

Looking ahead, the presidents voice their planned participation in the upcoming NATO Leaders’ Summit in Madrid in 2022 and support “for a U.S.-EU dialogue on security and defense and work towards an Administrative Arrangement for the United States with the European Defense Agency, as decided at the U.S.-EU Summit in June.”

Following last month’s dispute between the two nations over the AUKUS partnership, which has the US and the UK providing support to Australia for the production of nuclear powered submarines, the leaders write they “recognize the importance of robust collaboration in the Indo-Pacific, particularly given growing economic and strategic challenges there,” adding Biden welcomes France’s enduring role as an Indo-Pacific partner, whose long-standing commitment, geography, and military capabilities based throughout the region make it a key contributor and security provider to a free and open Indo-Pacific.”

In a tweet Friday, Biden wrote, “I had a great meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron this afternoon. The United States has no older, no more loyal, no more decent ally than France. They’ve been with us from the beginning — and we will always be there for them.”

While President Biden met with French President Emmanuel Macron, first lady Jill Biden met her counterpart Brigitte Macron at a Roman café and shared a glass of wine. Here's what she said of their interaction:

“It was nice. Two friends together, just like sisters.”

When asked whether she was enjoying Italy, she said:

“We come here so many times. I love Italy. Brigitte loves Italy. I mean, who could not love Italy? There’s nothing that we wouldn’t love about it, right?”

US President Joe Biden spoke about US-France tensions over a US deal with Australia for nuclear-powered submarines, which derailed France's own multibillion-dollar deal, and he said what the US did "was clumsy."

Biden also said he thought "France had been informed long before" about the deal.

"Honest to God. I did not know that," he said.

It was a striking admission of a foreign policy misstep for a President with decades of experience in that arena. Biden has not publicly admitted wrongdoing in the submarine deal, but did convey regret in an earlier phone call with Macron at how the situation was handled.

French President Emmanuel Macron also responded with a forward-looking answer:

“For me, what’s important is that we build during these past weeks some very concrete actions in order to strengthen the partnership, with the help and clarification between what the European defense means and the how that’s completely compatible with NATO,” he added.

Watch the moment:

French President Emmanuel Macron spoke first during his meeting with President Biden, their first face-to-face following a diplomatic clash last month over an agreement for the US and United Kingdom to provide Australia with nuclear-powered submarines.

While Biden sat next to him, Macron spoke to reporters in French.

Macron discussed coordination in the fight against terrorism with European and international partners.

"Over the past few weeks, President Biden took some fundamental decisions which benefited to our armies, and these are very much, this is the embodiment of the support. ... Then we acknowledged some bilateral agreements on armament exportations, the nuclear sector, the space industry, and of course the most advanced technology," Macron said, which was translated into English.

"We'll continue to work together on the main international issues — climate change, the digital sector, health — which will be on the agenda of the G20 and we'll also upgrade our discussions on the arms control, which remains a key issue," he said.

President Biden has begun his closely watched meeting with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron meant to repair fractured ties after a rift involving submarines.

Biden arrived to the French embassy in Rome around 5:45 p.m. local time (11:45 a.m. ET), where Macron was waiting for him.

After emerging from his vehicle, the two men grasped hands and Macron threw his arm over Biden's shoulder.

As they waved, Biden smiled widely while Macron assumed a more stoic expression.

When a reporter shouted whether Biden had apologized, Biden responded: "To whom?"

Macron suggested they go upstairs.

President Biden meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron in Rome, their first in-person meeting following last month's major diplomatic dust-up over an agreement for the US and United Kingdom to provide Australia with nuclear-powered submarines.

The highly anticipated bilateral meeting between the long-standing allies is taking place ahead of the Group of 20 meeting in Rome and the United Nations' subsequent climate summit in Glasgow.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Rome that he expects the meeting to be "constructive and deeply substantive," and that Biden and Macron will cover a gamut of issues facing their alliance, from "counterterrorism in the Middle East to great power competition to economic, trade and technology issues."

Sullivan said a "forward-looking" statement is expected to be released following the meeting, which will touch on areas of cooperation, counterterrorism, the Indo-Pacific, energy and technology.

The two leaders are also expected to be in the same room for other meetings throughout the G20 summit.

Read more about the meeting here.

The Vatican said in a statement on Friday that President Biden, in his meetings with the Pope and his subsequent meeting with the Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, covered the topics of the protection of the planet, Covid-19 and refugees.

They did not specify further which topics were discussed specifically with the Pope.

They held "cordial discussions" and focused "on the joint commitment to the protection and care of the planet, the healthcare situation and the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as the theme of refugees and assistance to migrants," the Vatican said Friday.

They also made reference to the protection of human rights, including freedom of religion and conscience.

During the talks, they exchanged views "on some matters regarding the current international situation, also in the context of the imminent G20 summit in Rome, and on the promotion of peace in the world through political negotiation."

US President Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron are meeting at the French Embassy in Rome. With the backdrop of the current US-France diplomatic clash, the location of their sitdown is significant and intentional, a diplomatic source says.

The two leaders are meeting in-person for the first time since a diplomatic feud broke out between the two countries over a US deal with Australia for nuclear-powered submarines, which derailed France's own multibillion dollar deal. 

As part of this tension, France also compared President Biden to former President Trump.

According to Biden's national security adviser, the two will discuss an array of issues from "counterterrorism in the Middle East to great power competition to economic, trade and technology issues."

They are expected to issue a joint statement, which aides have been crafting for days, following the meeting, according to the source.