Joe Biden is a fan of Pope Francis.
Speaking publicly Tuesday for the first time since the death of his son Beau, the Catholic vice president praised the pope for pushing for action to rein in global warming.
"We've got a good one now," Biden said, holding up a Washington Post article outlining the details of Francis' highly-anticipated encyclical on the environment, a draft of which leaked Monday.
The encyclical—a rare and influential Vatican statement—calls for global action to halt Earth's rising temperatures and urges the developed world to aid poor nations in the fight against climate change. The Vatican will officially unveil the encyclical Thursday.
"I want to give credit to the impetus that religious communities have brought to this issue," Biden said, applauding evangelical faith leaders such as Jim Wallis, as well as Francis.