Obama Gives Pope Francis ‘Ascending Dove’ Sculpture

During President Obama’s Oval Office meeting with Pope Francis, the president gave him a statue of an “ascending dove” to mark his first visit to the United States.

According to the White House, the sculpture was “an international symbol of peace” as well as a sign of the Catholic concept of a “Holy Spirit.”

Described as “one-of-a-kind,” the sculpture included metal from the Statue of Liberty.

Obama also gave Pope Francis a historic key from the Maryland home of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, the first American-born saint canonized by Pope Paul VI.

As the pair walked along the colonnade of the White House, Obama appeared eager to speak with the Holy Father. According to the White House pool report, “it appeared that the president was doing most of, if not all of the talking.”