Pope Francis to Meet Obama at White House

The Pontiff will confer with the President on Sept. 23

Pope Francis will meet with President Obama at the White House in September,
according to the Associated Press:

The White House says President Barack Obama will host Pope Francis in Washington when he visits the United States this fall.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Obama and first lady Michelle Obama would welcome the pontiff as a guest at the White House on Sept. 23. It is Francis’ first papal visit to the United States.

Francis is already scheduled to address the annual U.N. General Assembly of world leaders on Sept. 25. The pope has also agreed to address a joint meeting of Congress on Sept. 24, the first time the head of the world’s Roman Catholics will address Congress.

Obama met Francis in the Vatican in March of last year. Earnest said discussions would range from poverty and economic opportunity to immigration and the environment.

In a later story, the AP described the topics the two world leaders plan to discuss:

The White House said the president and the pope will continue a dialogue about poverty, the environment, immigration and promoting religious freedom.

"The president looks forward to continuing this conversation with the Holy Father during his first visit to the United States as pope," a statement said.

The 78-year-old leader of the world’s Roman Catholics confirmed late last year that he would visit the United States to take part in a Catholic Church congress in Philadelphia.

During the trip, he will also address the United Nations in New York and become the first pontiff to address the US Congress.

Obama and Francis met for the first time at the Vatican in March last year in talks clouded by disagreements over provisions for contraception included in the US leader’s landmark health care reforms.

Obama has regularly spoken of his admiration for Francis, repeatedly praising the pontiff for his compassion and modesty.