VIDEO FOLLOW-UP: What President Brandon said to the Pope!

Earlier today, in "Francis and Joe meeting today... cameras not allowed!", Walt commented on the Vatican's unusual prohibition of the recording of the meeting between Pope Bergoglio and President Brandon. Why would they do that? Here's why, a bit of video filmed when they met yesterday.

   

The remark happened after they exchanged gifts. For reasons known only to himself, the Clinton News Network reports (click for longer video clip) that Sleepy Joe spoke to Francis at some length about Satchel Paige, the trailblazing black baseball pitcher, and made a joke about their ages. "How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you were? You’re 65. I’m 60." 

Mr Brandon may have meant his remarks as some sort of joke, or maybe he genuinely forgot who he was talking to, but his behaviour is not that of a serious person, let alone one of "the two most powerful Catholics in the world." One can only speculate on what was said after the cameras were turned off. How much worse could it have been?

We'll never know, because we have only the President's side of the conversation. Following the not-so-historic meeting -- only the second between a pope and a Catholic president -- Sleepy Joe said that Pope Francis told him he should keep receiving Communion, in spite of the argument of traditional Catholics that the Sacrament should be denied to any politician who supports abortion.

President Brandon said the topic of abortion didn't come up, but that Francis told him he "was happy he was a good Catholic and he should keep receiving communion." Asked about this, the Vatican's spokesthingy would say only that discussions between the Pope and the President were "private matters". Period.