US President Joe Biden canceled his upcoming visit to Italy — what would have been the last diplomatic trip of his presidency and included a planned meeting with Pope Francis — to address the ongoing wildfires in Southern California.
Biden was scheduled to travel to Rome from January 9 to 12 at the invitation of Pope Francis. His audience with the Holy Father was scheduled for January 10.
Receive the main news from ACI Prensa by WhatsApp and Telegram
It is increasingly difficult to see Catholic news on social media. Subscribe to our free channels today:
In a statement published this weekWhite House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that after returning from Los Angeles, where he met with officials fighting the ongoing fires, Biden “made the decision to cancel his upcoming trip to Italy.” .
The president canceled the trip “to remain focused on directing the entire federal response in the coming days,” Jean-Pierre said.
The president’s planned meeting with the Pope was to focus on efforts to promote peace around the world. Biden was also scheduled to meet with Italian President Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
Biden last met with Pope Francis in June last year, where the two discussed foreign policy in Israel, Gaza and Ukraine, as well as climate change.
During a private audience at the G7 Summit in Apulia, Italy, the two leaders “emphasized the urgent need for an immediate ceasefire and hostage agreement” in Gaza and the need to “address the critical humanitarian crisis,” according to the White House.
Archdiocese of Los Angeles officials and local Church leaders have been working this week to shelter and help victims of forest fires as flames consume entire neighborhoods and devastate significant parts of the suburban area.
One of the fires destroyed the Corpus Christi Catholic Church and forced the closure of dozens of Catholic schools. Other churches in the area have also been destroyed.
The Archbishop of Los Angeles, Bishop José Gomez, in a social media post He urged the faithful to “continue praying for all those who suffer” due to the forest fires.
“My heart goes out to our neighbors who have lost their homes and their livelihoods,” the prelate said. “Let us pray for them and for our firefighters and first responders. May God keep all our brothers and sisters safe and put an end to these fires!”
Translated and adapted by the ACI Prensa team. Originally published in CNA.
Daniel Payne
Daniel Payne is senior editor at Catholic News Agency. He previously worked at College Fix and Just the News. He lives in Virginia with his family.