We are getting details about Joe Biden’s meeting with Pope Francis yesterday, and they are painting a bleak picture. For whom exactly depends on whether you think the president is lying or not.

According to Biden, not only was abortion not mentioned in the conversation, but the president was lauded as a “good Catholic” who is still clear to receive communion. That despite the fact that the Pope reiterated that abortion is murder just weeks ago.

RedState’s Nick Arama reported on the meeting earlier today.

ICYMI: "We just talked about the fact that he was happy I’m a good Catholic. I should keep receiving Communion," Biden said on his conversation Friday with Pope Francis https://t.co/UGVbSdE3tT pic.twitter.com/WXExpkPLZH

— Bloomberg Quicktake (@Quicktake) October 30, 2021

While I have my issues with the Pope, this statement from Biden does not strike me as an accurate representation of the meeting. Would the leader of the Catholic Church really tell someone who supports abortion and flaunts a myriad of other required doctrines that they are a “good Catholic”? That seems absolutely crazy to consider, even if the Pope was respectful overall in his tone and tenor.

Still, is it that far-fetched to believe Biden is actually telling the truth here? It’s certainly not out of the realm of possibility given the current Pope’s more left-leaning stance toward the Church and politics in general. And if he is, it paints a bleak picture of the Catholic Church, at least insofar as its leadership goes.

Part of being a Christian is being truthful with people about the realities of sin. For any Christian leader to sit across from a president so drenched in it, up to and including the killing of babies in the womb, and not give that president the straight and level is disturbing. And to be sure, there have been other presidents who deserved to be called out as well, but that doesn’t absolve the Pope of his complicity here if he did, in fact, not even bring up abortion.

Further, even if the Pope believes that it is not his place to correct Biden in that type of meeting (who’s place is it, if not?), it’s certainly his place to support the Bishops who feel it is right to deny the president communion. Does Church doctrine matter or not? Because it sure feels like there are two different standards here, and I’m pretty sure God doesn’t have carve-outs for politicians.

Let’s all hope that Biden’s comment is just the president blowing smoke, something he’s known to do. Because if it’s true, and Pope Francis really did praise him as a “good Catholic” worthy of communion, then the Church has some serious problems.