Speaking of things that wouldn't go away, Joe Biden decided that he, too, would go to Pope Francis's funeral, once President Trump said he'd be there.

So, somehow, the old toad toddled over to Rome for the funeral:

It was obviously an attempt to upstage President Trump who was legitimately there. It certainly wasn't because of any "Catholic" values he had, given the examples out there of his fathering skills. Religion to Biden was always a political tool. Biden did try to put out a statement about something or other last week as some sort of political comeback, drawing little attention. Now he, or whoever's running him, has gotten a spot in front of the cameras for attending the funeral of the pope.

Why do I say that? Well, because when he was president, he actually skipped the funeral of the last pope, Benedict XVI, not even sending a cabinet official in his place, only his Vatican ambassador, who was there handy.

According to Wikipedia, here's the best Pope Benedict got from Biden and the U.S., besides the ambassador:

• President Joe Biden released a statement, saying that Pope Benedict XVI "will be remembered as a renowned theologian, with a lifetime of devotion to the Church, guided by his principles and faith."^[160]
• House Speaker Nancy Pelosi released a statement, saying that Benedict XVI was "a global leader whose devotion, scholarship and hopeful message stirred the hearts of people of all faiths."^[161]
• Archbishop of New York Timothy M. Dolan released a statement, saying "the human family grieves the passing of this erudite, wise, and holy man, who spoke the truth with love", also noting that Benedict appointed him as archbishop and named him Cardinal.^[162] Dolan indicated that he would attend the funeral in the Vatican.^[163]
• President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Military Services Timothy Broglio issued a reflection saying; "The Church gives thanks for the treasured ministry of Pope Benedict XVI".^[164]

That was in 2022 when Biden occupied the Oval Office - it was a mechanical and heartless statement, to say the least. So much for Catholicism.

Meanwhile, Biden didn't bother with Pope John Paul II's funeral, either, back in 2005 when he was a Senator, even though quite a few of his colleagues did, plenty of them as hypocritical as he is, so he would have felt comfortable.

Wikipedia reports this list from among the politicians who turned up at the great man's 2005 funeral, as well as President George W. Bush, his dad, and the ever-opportunistic Bill Clinton in the official delegation:

Members of Congress and other dignitaries (not part of the official delegation, thus no VIP treatment):

• John Kerry, Senator from Massachusetts
• Bill Frist, Senate Majority Leader, Republican, from Tennessee
• Ted Kennedy, Senator from Massachusetts, last living brother of John F. Kennedy (the first Catholic to serve as U.S. President).
• White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card
• New York Governor George Pataki
• New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg

No Joe Biden.

Kerry turned up at both John Paul II's funeral and Pope Francis's funeral, being Lurch, he always liked things morbid -- and the reason why was obvious enough -- the chance to jump in front of the cameras:

Benedict's funeral, which he skipped, probably could have offered him that opportunity, too, but he wouldn't have been able to say anything nice about him. He stayed home.

Biden's trip probably didn't work out as well as he thought it would work out -- Benny Johnson argues that nobody wanted to stand next to him:

Whether that was because of another "bathroom incident" which plagued him on his last visit to the Vatican, or because he had lost power and respect among the world's dignitaries is unknown.

Here he is in front of the cameras, alongside an Elizabeth Warren cosplayer, looking ridiculous:

It seems singularly inappropriate for a guy like Biden, given his addled state and lack of interest in the past, to suddenly go to papal funerals. Sure, Pope Francis was indulgent towards him -- to a fault, actually, and Biden politically benefited from that. But Francis is not around any more, there's just politics now with a Catholic veneer, which for Biden, has always been what it's about. He shows up at this funeral in all his dodderly lostness, trying to tell the world he's still sentient, and all one can think is that he's still looking to be a political player out to Get Trump.

It's as sorry a picture as any there are of him. What a mess.

Image: X video screen shot