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          Bernie Sanders to Travel to the Vatican, Hopes to Meet Pope

   by VOA News

   U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has accepted an
   invitation to visit the Vatican next week, he announced Friday.

   Sanders will deliver a speech on how to create a moral economy at a
   meeting of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences on April 15, just
   four days ahead of the New York primary. The academy is a kind of
   research institution set up by Pope John Paul II in 1994.

   "On economic issues, on issues of poverty and income and wealth
   inequality, the issues of making sure we address the needs of the
   poorest people on this planet, this is something that the pope and I
   are very much on the same page," Sanders told the Associated Press in a
   phone interview.

   "Pope Francis has made clear that we must overcome `the globalization
   of indifference' in order to reduce economic inequalities, stop
   financial corruption and protect the natural environment. That is our
   challenge in the United States and in the world," Sanders said in a
   statement.

   The Jewish presidential candidate is a long-time admirer of Pope
   Francis and the pontiff's attention to wealth inequality and social
   justice. Sanders spokesperson Michael Briggs said if the opportunity
   arises, the candidate "would be delighted to meet with the pope."

   The pending visit to the Vatican ahead of the New York primary may
   increase Sanders' appeal to a broader Catholic audience.

   The Reverend Thomas Reese, an analyst with the National Catholic
   Reporter, told AP that the invitation should not be misconstrued as an
   endorsement from the pope. "Certainly the last thing Pope Francis wants
   to do is get involved in American presidential politics," Reese said.
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References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/bernie-sanders-travel-vatican-hopes-meet-pope/3276690.html