‘You Know Why!’ Biden Chafes at Anti-Abortion Reporter Who Asks Why He’s Not Going to Pope Benedict’s Funeral

President Joe Biden chafed at a question from anti-abortion EWTN White House correspondent Owen Jensen about the funeral of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, who died on New Year’s Eve.

On Wednesday morning, the president took questions from reporters as he departed the White House for his trip to Kentucky and Ohio. He seemed not to care for the inference when Jensen — who frequently spars with Biden and the White House on the issue of abortion rights — asked him why he isn’t attending the late pontiff’s funeral:

OWEN JENSEN: On Pope Benedict. Pope Benedict. What did he mean — what did Pope Benedict mean to you as a Catholic?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, I — I had an opportunity to spend some time with Pope Benedict, a couple hours. And — and he was a great — and it reminded me of going back to theology class. We spoke about Aquinas and about “Summa Theologica” and the whole litany. I found him to be relaxing and very rational.

And he was a more conservative view within the Catholic realm than I have and (inaudible) Pope — the present Pope, in terms of his philosophy, his view. But I — I admired him. I thought he was a fine man.

OWEN JENSEN: You’re not attending his funeral tomorrow though. Why?

THE PRESIDENT: No. Well, why do you think?

OWEN JENSEN: Well, you tell me.

THE PRESIDENT: You know why. I can’t —

OWEN JENSEN: You can tell me, sir.

THE PRESIDENT: No, the reason I’m not attending the funeral tomorrow is because it takes an entourage of a thousand people to show up — not literally. But we would — we would move everything in the wrong direction.

I inquired about that. And they’re — people are sending mostly their apostolic delegates, their — the folks in Rome. That’s what we’re going to do. We would just get in the way.

But I — I’ve made my views known. I’m — at any rate, I think he was a fine man.

Biden was referring to the statement he issued after Benedict died, and to the detailed response that White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre gave Jensen at a briefing on Tuesday.

“U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See, Joe Donnelly, will represent the United States at the funeral of the Pope, in line with the wishes of the late Pope and the Vatican,” Jean-Pierre told Jensen. The Vatican announced days ago that only Italy and Germany were invited to send official state delegations.

Watch above via C-SPAN.