The White House announced that President Joe Biden will head to Italy next month for a public meeting with Pope Francis in Vatican City before his term comes to an end.
Biden accepted the invitation to visit Vatican City during a phone call with Pope Francis Thursday, according to the White House.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Thursday that Biden would meet with Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and President Sergio Mattarella during the overseas trip. The four-day trip is planned for the second week in January, and the meeting between Biden and Pope Francis will occur in front of an audience on Jan. 10.
“President Biden will have an audience with the Pope and discuss efforts to advance peace around the world,” Jean-Pierre said Thursday. “He will also meet with Italy’s leaders to highlight the strength of the U.S.-Italy relationship, thank Prime Minister Meloni for her strong leadership of the G7 over the past year, and discuss important challenges facing the world.”
Italy’s position as president of the G7 countries, a position that rotates annually, will come to an end in the new year. The G7 is a cohort of the world’s largest advanced economies.
Pope Francis, front row, right, poses for a photo with participants on day two of the Group of Seven (G-7) leaders summit at the Borgo Egnazia resort in Savelletri, Italy, on Friday, June 14, 2024.
Biden’s trip to meet with Pope Francis will come shortly after the Vatican begins its Holy Year on Dec. 24, a centuries-long tradition that occurs every 25 years, during which pilgrims travel to Rome to visit holy sites and receive forgiveness.
Biden is only the nation’s second Catholic president, after John F. Kennedy. He has met with popes, including Francis, throughout his political career. The trips have also been reciprocated by Francis, who made his first formal visit to the U.S. when Biden was vice president.
Biden last met with Pope Francis in June, during which the pair discussed both the war in Israel and the war Russia is waging against Ukraine. The leaders reportedly emphasized the urgent need for a ceasefire in Gaza and the need to cement a hostage deal during their talks. They also spoke about the ongoing humanitarian impacts of Russia’s war against Ukraine, according to the U.S. embassy in Italy.
Palestinians protesting in solidarity with the people of the Gaza Strip wave Palestinian flags as Pope Francis (rear) delivers the weekly papal Angelus prayer in Vatican City on Aug. 3, 2014.
Biden’s trip in the final month of his presidency is expected to be his last overseas.
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It will mark a rare occurrence, according to the Associated Press, which noted that the last president to travel overseas during the final month of his presidency was fellow one-term President George H.W. Bush. Bush traveled to Moscow and Paris on diplomatic missions to shore up a nuclear treaty and discuss the Bosnian war that was taking place at the time with France’s then-president, according to historical records from the State Department.