Biden discusses cancer research at the Vatican
ROME — Having pushed to accelerate cancer research at home, Vice President Joe Biden is working to focus the global community’s attention on the disease at the Vatican.
In his speech today to a conference on regenerative medicine, Biden planned to draw connections between medical research and broader societal and moral issues that Pope Francis has shined a light on. The pope was also to speak at the conference, but it was unclear whether he and Biden would hold a substantial meeting.
Though the medical and faith communities have sometimes been wary of each other, Biden planned to emphasize that faith and compassion are compatible with reason and science, according to administration officials who briefed reporters. It’s a theme that President Barack Obama has stressed when it comes to addressing climate change, another issue the pope has embraced.
Last year, the vice president lost a son, former Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden, to brain cancer, and months later declared a “moonshot” to cure cancer when he announced he wouldn’t run for president. Since then, he’s launched a task force with Obama’s blessing and the White House asked Congress for $1 billion over two budget years for research, although only a fraction has been approved.
Biden, a Catholic, also planned to meet with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican secretary of state.
