Former President Joe Biden humiliated himself yet again while walking into Pope Francis’s funeral, with videos showing the aging politician struggling to walk down a flight of stairs and clasping a priest’s forearm, along with his wife’s hand, as he slowly entered St. Peter’s Square.
For context, Pope Francis tragically passed away on April 21, 2025, and his funeral was held at the Vatican on April 26. Biden, a reported practicing Catholic, attended the funeral, along with many other world leaders, including President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump. However, Biden was ridiculed for being seated near the back of the foreign dignitaries section, and he drew ire from conservatives after he was spotted snapping selfies with funeralgoers, according to press accounts.
Following the funeral, an X user with the handle Bob the Builder posted a photo of Biden struggling to walk, holding his wife’s hand and gripping a priest’s arm. The X user wrote, “What an embarrassment! Frail Joe Biden given helping hand by wife Jill and bishop as he struggles down stairs at Pope Francis’s funeral!”
In addition, according to press coverage of the funeral, the former president and his wife were seated near the back of the foreign dignitaries section of the funeral, leading X user I Meme Therefore I Am to say that Biden “is no longer part of the cool kids club.” Another X user commented, “LMAO! They put Biden in the way back at the funeral of Pope Francis. Look at how lost he looks.”
Adding insult to injury, the former president’s behavior once he entered St. Peter’s was a lightning rod for controversy. Videos captured before the funeral procession depicted Biden taking selfies with several other funeral attendees, leading many conservatives to call him out for his behavior online. In response, one user with the handle Gunnar Riise wrote, “The fact that he’s actually standing should be wtf here.”
After the funeral, an X post from the account UG Diplomat confirmed that in one of the selfies, Biden was posing with Ugandan Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa. After this revelation, more criticism of Biden poured in online, with a commenter adding, “Why did Biden show up?” Another commenter humorously added, “It wouldn’t surprise me if Biden travels with his own coffin. He could’ve been tossed in with the pope, but the blasphemy would be too much. Biden needs to go away into seclusion and embarrassment after what he did to this country.”
In the wake of the Pope’s passing, Biden issued a tribute on X, saying, “Pope Francis will be remembered as one of the most consequential leaders of our time, and I am better for having known him. For decades, he served the most vulnerable across Argentina, and his mission of serving the poor never ceased.”
"*" indicates required fields
Concluding, Biden said that Pope Francis “promoted equity and an end to poverty and suffering across the globe. And above all, he was a Pope for everyone. He was the People’s Pope — a light of faith, hope, and love.” In response, an X user with the handle Alex called Biden out, saying, “He called the genocidal violence you facilitated terrorism. While you sent bombs to kill Palestinians, he stood with them. You have trampled on all of his teachings. Shame.”
Watch Biden pose for a selfie at Pope Francis’s funeral:
Featured image credit: UG Diplomat via X