Former U.S. President Bill Clinton holds a gift from Pope Francis during a private audience July 5, 2023, in the Vatican's Domus Sanctae Marthae where the pope lives. The pope told Clinton that the Vatican-made statue of a woman with a bird perched on her hand represents how "it is our work (human effort) that makes peace." Also pictured is, far left, Nelson Strobridge Talbott III, who was a Rhodes Scholar with Clinton at England's University of Oxford, and his wife, Barbara Ascher. Vatican News reported that the meeting, which included an 11-person delegation traveling with Clinton, "was held in private and the topic discussed was peace." (CNS photo/Vatican Media) Summer is traditionally a time for lazy vacations, yet at the Vatican it’s business as usual, with Pope Francis engaging in at least four noteworthy acts all in one day – from decisions on indulgences to seminary formation, to a surprise meeting with Bill Clinton. Though it was not announced beforehand, Pope Francis met with…
