Two Popes died during Carter's administration. He sent his wife as the US representative to the first funeral and he sent his mother to the second.
Where did you find that little nugget?
At The Corner - the National Review Online Blog, copied below:
POOR JIMMY [Kate O'Beirne]
We shouldn't feel too sorry for former President Carter who didn't make the cut for the delegation to the Pope's funeral. After all, two popes died in 1978, and Rosalynn headed the first delegation to Pope Paul VI's funeral and his mother, Lillian led the one to Pope John Paul I's funeral. So, President Carter had his chance.
Posted at 06:11 PM
http://www.nationalreview.com/thecorner/corner.asp
Scroll down to 6:11 PM, Tuesday.