The instant cancelation of the planned live broadcast of United States President Joe Biden greeting Pope Francis by the Vatican sparked complaints from White House reporters and Vatican-based journalists.

Vatican Cancels Full Coverage of Biden-Pope Meeting Due to COVID-19 Protocol

Based on the report ABC News, the live broadcast of Biden's Vatican visit on Friday was trimmed, covering just the arrival of the motorcade of the U.S. President in the courtyard of the Apostolic Palace.

According to Associated Press, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said there was a revision on the planned meeting because they followed the "normal procedure." Bruni noted that the procedure was established during the coronavirus pandemic, which was implemented for all visiting heads of state or government.

Aside from the limitations set on the visiting leaders, the Vatican also said that the protocol meant an 18-month ban on any independent media being in the room from the starting part to the finishing portion of the visit. The protocol would be the new normal in the case of a visiting head of state.

The canceled portion of the planned coverage was the supposed live coverage of Biden personally greeting Pope Francis in the Palace Throne Room.

Also, the media will miss having live footage of the two influential men sitting down, a signal that the two would start their private talks inside the library of the Pope. The cameras inside the library of Pope Francis would also stop running once the private talk would start.

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Limited Coverage on Biden-Pope Meeting

The head of the White House Correspondents' Association, Steven Portnoy of CBS News Radio, expressed his disappointment at the lack of live coverage in the visit, especially with the absence of independent media access.

In his social media account, Portnoy noted that the White House traveling pool was fully vaccinated.

Meanwhile, the Vatican said that despite the cancelation, they would provide accredited media with edited footage of the encounter.

Bruni did not clarify why the Vatican initially stated that they would give the audience a fuller live coverage and only dialed it back on the eve of the visit.

Biden is considered the second Catholic U.S. president that has met Pope Francis. Biden met Pope Francis three previous times, but the latest meeting would be his first as the U.S. president.

The audience was being closely monitored since U.S. bishops were due to meet in a few weeks for their annual fall convention. One of the items in their agenda was inspired by conservatives who contend Biden's support for abortion rights. Conservatives said that the support should disqualify Biden from receiving Communion.

Though any document that would emerge from the bishops' conference was not expected to mention the name of Biden, it would still be possible there could be a clear message of rebuke.

Furthermore, asked to comment on Vatican access during a gaggle with reporters on Air Force One, Jake Sullivan, the U.S. national security adviser, said that the Biden administration was "actively engaged" in the issue and they would see what the visit would bring.

Sullivan emphasized that the U.S. would always advocate for access and free press, especially for their good friends in the American press who traveled with them on these long flights just to capture the president's engagements abroad.

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This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Jess Smith

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