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ByJoshLederman The Associated Press VATICAN CITY Vice Presi- dent Joe Biden found com- mon cause with Pope Fran- cis on Friday at the Vatican for a global commitment to fund cancer research. Biden spoke at a confer- ence on regenerative medi- cine and ended up sharing the stage with the pope, who used his own speech to decry a profit-driven med- ical research system. With light streaming through stained glass into an ornate auditorium, the pope called for empathy for the sick and communal guarantees that all have access to care. "Research, whether in academia and industry, re- quires unwavering atten- tion to moral issues if it is to be an instrument which safeguards human life and the dignity of the person," the pope said. As he's done several times before, the pope gave voice to the moral argument be- hind a cause that Biden and President Barack Obama have sought to elevate, help- ing to skewer traditional partisan divides that tend to overtake political issues in the U.S. The Obama ad- ministration has turned to this pope for support on cli- mate change, poverty, rap- prochement with Cuba and refugees. For Biden, the stately cor- ridors and costumed Swiss Guards of Vatican City were an about-face from the scene just hours ear- lier, when the vice presi- dent visited Iraq on an un- announced visit. In Iraq, Biden worked to smooth over deep sectarian ten- sions threatening Iraq's po- litical system; at the Holy See, he appealed for all re- ligions to see defeating can- cer as a means to express values of faith, love and hope. Biden told the scientists, researchers and Catholic leaders that as he met with Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish leaders in Iraq the day be- fore, each had wanted to talk to him about one thing: the pope. "I think that's a pretty incredible thing," the vice president said. Biden, who lost a son to cancer last year, called can- cer a "constant emergency" for the planet and urged philanthropists, corpora- tions and governments to increase funding and infor- mation-sharing in a bid to "end cancer as we know it." Though he said the world is on the cusp of unprece- dented breakthroughs, he added that still not done enough is being done. "Cancer's not a national problem, it's an interna- tional problem," Biden said. "It's a human prob- lem. It affects all races, all religions." Before taking the stage, the pope greeted Biden pri- vately in a room backstage, where the two exchanged small tokens, the White House said. They were also seen smiling and chatting together as they greeted conference attendees after their speeches, joined by the vice president's surviv- ing son, Hunter Biden, and son-in-law Howard Krein, a physician who's been in- volved in Biden's cancer push. Last year, Biden's eldest son, former Delaware At- torney General Beau Biden, died from brain cancer af- ter his family's hopes of a last-minute medical break- through fell short. Months later, his father declared a "moonshot" to cure can- cer when he announced he wouldn't run for president. Since then, Joe Biden has launched a task force with Obama's blessing and the White House asked Con- gress for $1 billion over two budget years for research. Only a fraction has been approved so far. While at the Vatican, Biden met with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vati- can secretary of state, at the gold-adorned Treaty Room of the Apostolic Pal- ace. Then he left Vatican City for Palazzo Chigi, the Italian premier's office in Rome. VATICAN Biden seeks common cause with pope on cancer L'OSSERVATOREROMANO—POOLPHOTO Pope Francis shakes hands with US vice president Joe Biden at the Vatican, on Friday. By Meg Kinnard and Bruce Smith The Associated Press CHARLESTON,S.C. A friend of the white man accused of killing nine black parish- ioners during a Bible study at a Charleston church last year pleaded guilty Friday to lying to federal author- ities. He also revealed the suspect told him he had in- tended to kill himself after the slayings, which he had planned for months. The plea by Joey Meek, 21, marked the first convic- tion in a mass killing that stunned the nation, reig- nited discussions about race relations and led to the re- moval of a Confederate bat- tle flag from the South Car- olina Statehouse. Dylann Roof, who is charged with the slayings, had previously posed for photos with a rebel flag. Authorities have said Meek failed to tell inves- tigators all he knew about Roof's plans to shoot the pa- rishioners at Emanuel AME Church last June 17. Roof, 22, is charged with nine counts of murder in state court and with hate crimes and other charges in federal court. Meek signed a deal with prosecutors, agreeing to plead guilty to lying to au- thorities and failure to re- port a crime. He could face up to eight years in prison when he's sentenced later, although prosecutors say they will argue he deserves less time if he's cooperative. Meek, clad in a dark suit, sat silently looking ahead as more than a dozen rel- atives of the shooting vic- tims were ushered to seats reserved on one side of the courtroom. He spoke softly, often simply reply- ing "Yes, your honor," to routine questions from U.S. District Judge Rich- ard Gergel. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Richardson noted that Meek not only knew about Roof's plans for the shoot- ings but didn't tell law en- forcement and told others not to tell as well. "Roof told Joey Meek that he was going to shoot peo- ple at an AME church in Charleston," Richardson said, adding Roof had even said he would do so dur- ing a Wednesday night Bi- ble study. Richardson also said Meek knew Roof had planned the attack for six months, had a gun and would carry extra ammu- nition in an attempt to start a race war. He also said Roof told him he had planned to kill himself af- ter the shootings. The prosecutor said the morning after the June 17 shootings, Meek told a friend who had seen news reports not to call author- ities. The friend called the FBI anyway and only then did Meek call. In an initial interview with the FBI, Meek denied knowing anything about the shootings beforehand but, during a second in- terview, changed his story and said he knew of Roof's plans, the prosecutor said. When the judge asked if he thought Roof was the gunman when he heard the news the night of the shoot- ings, Meek replied "since he had told me a week before, I had an idea it was him." Meek said he had only finished the 10th grade, is currently taking medica- tion for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and sees a psychiatrist. His at- torney, Debbie Barbier, de- clined to comment about the treatment after the hearing. She told reporters that Meek feels remorse and hopes relatives of those slain will forgive him but understands they likely won't. CHARLESTON Fr ie nd o f ch ur ch m as sa cr e su sp ec t pl ea ds g ui lt y to l yi ng t o au th or it ie s By Darlene Superville The Associated Press WASHINGTON President Barack Obama announced new steps Friday to help curb gun violence, includ- ing by identifying the re- quirements that "smart guns" would have to meet for law enforcement agen- cies to buy and use them as well as sharing mental health records with the fed- eral background check sys- tem. Smart guns use vari- ous technologies to pre- vent an accidental shoot- ing or help track down a missing gun. "These common-sense steps are not going to pre- vent every tragedy, but what if they prevented even one?" Obama wrote in a Facebook post. "We should be doing everything we can to save lives and spare families the pain and unimaginable loss too many Americans have endured." As Obama unveiled a plan last January to expand federal background checks for gun purchases, he di- rected the Departments of Defense, Homeland Se- curity and Justice to con- duct or sponsor research into smart-gun technology. Obama also instructed the agencies to regularly review the availability of such tech- nology and to promote its use. In response, the Na- tional Rifle Association said Obama should focus on fighting terrorist threats. "President Obama's ob- session with gun control knows no boundaries," said Jennifer Baker, director of NRA-ILA Public Affairs. "At a time when we are ac- tively fighting terrorists at home and abroad, this ad- ministration would rather focus the military's efforts on the president's gun con- trol agenda." In a report released Fri- day, the Justice and Home- land Security departments said they expect to complete the work of identifying the smart-gun requirements by October. The Defense Department will continue to help man- ufacturers test smart fire- arms under real-world con- ditions at the U.S. Army Aberdeen Test Center in Maryland. Gun makers could also be eligible to win cash prizes through the pro- gram. The federal govern- ment will also continue to help state and local govern- ments as smart-gun tech- nology develops, the report said. FIREARMS Obama announces new steps to curb gun violence, including focus on 'smart guns' Construction Burrows Construction Remodel, New Additions, Siding Repair and Replacement, Water and Dryrot New Construction Foundation to Finish Ph:(530) 515-9779 Residential•Commerical PATIOS•DECKS REFRENCES Lic#824770 Roofing Call for Estimates! Residential, Commercial & Mobiles www.harbertroofing.com HARBERT ROOFING, INC. 530-223-3251 Lic# 696974 Time To Roof? Blinds Need Blinds? C A L L P A U L 527-0842 North State Blinds & Draperies www.nsbd.biz Lic.#906022 Paul Stubbs Building Construction R. G. 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