, Columnist
Even the Pope Waits for Putin
Putin makes everybody wait, even the Queen of England. So why not the pope?
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Being 50 minutes latefor his first meeting with Pope Francis was nothing unusual for Russian President Vladimir Putin. That's just the way he is -- a character trait that provides some insight into his attitude toward power.
When Putin arrived on time to an audience with Pope John Paul II in 2003, the punctuality was considered a newsworthy aberration: "The President Was Not Even a Second Late," read the headline in the newspaper Izvestia. He had been 15 minutes late for a similar audience in 2000.