London, England, Jun 14, 2021 / 03:30 am
Catholics in the English seaside town of St. Ives, Cornwall, were surprised Sunday to find the President of the United States at Mass in their parish church.
Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden attended the 9 a.m. Mass on June 13 at Sacred Heart and St. Ia Church, southwest England, on the final day of the G7 summit at Carbis Bay.
Biden, America’s second Catholic President after John F. Kennedy, and his wife spent around 30 minutes at the church amid tight security.
The celebrant Canon Philip Dyson told the PA news agency that the couple’s presence made him feel slightly nervous.
“It’s the President of the United States of America,” he said. “It’s a great occasion to welcome him into our parish, into the church, and it’s lovely to know he made the time in his busy schedule in order to come to Mass.”
Dyson told PA that he had a short conversation with Biden.
“I welcomed him to Cornwall and he said he was enjoying his time here and there were many serious matters they were discussing and just hope it’s going to come to fruition,” he said.
The priest added that the Scripture readings for the day were fitting as they concerned “creation and climate, and things growing.”
Credit: Source link