Biden Makes Clear His Intention Not to Run…For Pope

By Arlette Saenz February 11, 2013

Mark Wilson/Getty Images

Well, we know one position Vice President Joe Biden isn't running for - Pope.

At the end of remarks following a roundtable on gun safety in Philadelphia, Biden, the first Catholic to become vice president, was asked about Pope Benedict XVI's decision to step down from his post.

"I'm not running," Biden joked, according to CNN and Politico.

Biden said the Pope's decision to step down showed he had "great integrity" and noted that the Pope sets "an incredibly high standard."

"The decision reinforces for me as a practicing Catholic that this is a man of great integrity and looking out for what he believes is in the best interest of our church," Biden said. "I admire him for it."

Biden visited with Pope Benedict in his Vatican office in June of 2011 as can be seen in a photo the vice president's Twitter account sent out Monday.