President Barack Obama, Pope Francis Meet for First Time
President Barack Obama met with Pope Francis for the first time on Thursday morning - part of a jam-packed five-day tour of Europe and the Middle East.
The presidential motorcade swept into St Peter's Square at the Vatican at 10:15 a.m. local time (5:15 a.m. ET), from where Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry walked slowly towards the papal studio, escorted by the distinctive Swiss Guards.
The pair shook hands and smiled warmly in front of cameras. "Thank you, it's so nice to see you, good to see ya," Obama repeated.
"It is a great honor. I'm a great admirer," Obama added, according to The Associated Press.
The two leaders sat either side of a desk in the papal library where the Pope quietly said "Welcome, Mr. President" in English before switching to Italian.
After their private meeting, the pair exchanged gifts and again posed for cameras.
Obama was then due to meet Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State for the Holy See, and tour Rome’s famous Coliseum before heading to Saudi Arabia for a meeting on Friday with King Abdullah
He is the ninth president to make an official visit to the Vatican, and his audience is a change of pace after three days of high-level talks with European leaders aimed at creating a unified western response to Russia’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea region.
Although Obama and Pope Francis have differing views on abortion rights and gay marriage, they may find common ground on poverty and social justice – themes at the heart of the president’s 2008 election campaign.
“Conservatives will predict that President Barack Obama will get a tongue-lashing from Pope Francis on abortion and on the contraceptive mandate in the Affordable Care Act,” wrote Fr. Thomas J. Reese, senior analyst for the National Catholic Reporter. “Liberals will have Obama and Francis singing a duet.”
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