Holy joke! President Obama’s meeting with Pope Francis at the Vatican Thursday left the leader of the free world and the leader of the world’s 1 billion Catholics in stitches as they put aside formal decorum and laughed about protocol.
Their first-time encounter began somewhat awkwardly, with photographers snapping away furiously just feet from the pope’s desk in the Little Throne Room, practically drowning out the remarks of the two world figures.
After declaring himself a “great admirer,” Obama presented the pope with a box of seeds used in the White House garden.
“These, I think, are carrots,” Obama said, relaxing after the initial moments of stiffness.
The box was crafted from repurposed wood taken from the Baltimore Basilica, one of the oldest in the United States.
The pope gave Obama two medallions and a copy of his apostolic exhortation “The Joy of the Gospel” (pictured).
The president said he will read it when he is “deeply frustrated,” predicting it would “calm me down.”
Obama, who travels with a huge entourage, found common ground with the pontiff, who has his own Swiss Guard and functionaries.
“His Holiness is probably the only person in the world who has to put up with more protocol than me,” Obama cracked.
He offered a formal invitation to visit the United States.
The Argentinian-born pope responded in Spanish, “Cómo no?” or “why not?”
