Vice President Joe Biden gave an achingly poignant, teary-eyed answer on grief and loss in response to a question from an African-American Episcopalian pastor whose wife was gunned down in the 2015 Emanuel AME Church massacre.

At a CNN town hall in South Carolina, Biden was asked about how his own religious faith guides him in his daily and political life. But as Rev. Anthony Thompson recounted his own personal tragedy, in the lead-up to his question, Biden, clearly moved, lowered his head and closed his eyes until the minister was finished speaking.

“Well, reverend, I kind of know what it’s like to lose family, and my heart goes out to you. As you may remember, after Barack [Obama] and Michelle and I were there, I came back on that Sunday because I had just lost my son,” Biden said, his voice cracking.

“And, uh…I wanted some hope,” an emotional Biden continued, after a poignant pause. “Because what you all did was astounding. I don’t know whether you all know this,” Biden said, addressing the broader audience, “all of those who died, who were killed by this white supremacist, they forgave him. They forgave him. The ultimate act of Christian charity.” he continued.

“I happen to be a practicing Catholic,” Biden said. “I found that there’s that famous phrase from [Søren] Kierkegaard: ‘Faith sees best in the dark.'” I find the one thing it gives me — and I’m not trying to proselytize, I’m not trying to convince you to share my religious views — but for me it’s important because it gives me some reason to have hope. And purpose. I’ve learned the only way, I don’t know how you’ve dealt with it, reverend, but the way I’ve been able to deal with when my wife was killed and my daughter was killed and then my son died. I’ve only been able to deal with it by realizing they’re part of my being.”

“My son, Beau, was my soul, and…” Biden said, then paused again, a tremor in his voice. “What I found was, I had to find purpose, purpose. And what was the purpose? Every day I get up — I’m sorry to go on. I apologize — but every day I get up, I literally, and not a joke, Reverend, and,” turning to moderator Chris Cuomo, “I think you know this about my boy, I ask myself, ‘I hope he’s proud of me today,'” Biden said, wiping away a tear.

“It took me a long time to get to the point to realize that that purpose is the thing that would save me, and it has,” Biden added, as Thompson nodded his head in affirmation. “The impact of that loss had was astounding and it had to be for you. Remember, afterwards, when I went down the next day, I came in that Sunday, and [then-Charleston] Mayor [Joseph] Riley asked me ‘Would I down in [Emanuel AME] Reverend [Clementa] Pinkney’s office.’ And one of the things that absolutely blew my mind, he had a picture of him and I on his desk because we had become friends, good acquaintances, and it moved in a way I couldn’t explain. But what it did, it made me realize, to forgive is divine. What you did, you changed — you brought down that Confederate flag. You’re the ones who changed the attitude in this state in a way that was profound. And I think that’s how it gets done.”

The crowd roared its approval.

Watch the video above, via CNN.

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