Francis urged the Vatican inner circle to bless more and talk less badly of others. It wasn’t the first time he had used the occasion to scold them.

The US president will also meet Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni shortly before he leaves the White House in January.On his possibly last overseas trip before leaving office US President Joe Biden is travelling to Italy in January to meet Pope Francis and top Italian officials,

“The president thanked the pope for his continued advocacy to alleviate global suffering, including his work to advance human rights and protect religious freedoms,” the statement read. “President Biden also graciously accepted His Holiness Pope Francis’ invitation to visit the Vatican next month.”

United States President Joe Biden will visit Italy in January, where he will meet with Pope Francis and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to discuss global peace efforts and various international challenges.

President Biden will travel to Italy in January for meetings with Pope Francis, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Italian President Sergio Mattarella. The trip, from Jan. 9 to 12, will

President Joe Biden will travel to Italy next month to meet with Pope Francis and top Italian officials for what is expected to be the final international trip of his presidency.Related video ...

Pope Francis has told Vatican bureaucrats to stop speaking ill of one another, calling gossip "an evil that destroys social life."

President Joe Biden will meet with Pope Francis in January, likely the president's final international trip just days before he leaves the Oval Office, the White House announced.