Pope receives US president in Vatican Gardens

Pope Benedict XVI on Friday received visiting U.S. President George W. Bush and gave him a rare feel of the Vatican Gardens, a spot where popes pray privately and only special guests are allowed to stroll. Normally, VIPS are received in the pope's library in the Apostolic Palace. That's where Bush had his first meeting with the German pope in June 2007. But in an apparent gesture of appreciation for the warm welcome Bush gave him at the Whitehouse in Washington in April, Pope Benedict welcomed the president and first lady Laura Bush in the lush gardens near St. John's Tower on the western end of Vatican City. The two leaders were taken in an elevator to the second floor for their private meeting. The Holy See’s Press Office released a brief statement saying that during the cordial talks, the Holy Father reiterated his gratitude to Bush for the warm welcome he received in Washington in April, and for his commitment to the defence of fundamental moral values. The Vatican said the two leaders talked about the main issue concerning international politics, such as US-European relations, the Middle East and the commitment for peace in the Holy Land, globalization, the global food crisis, international trade and the realization of the Millennium Development Goals. At the end of the talks, Pope Benedict and his guests posed for official photographs and exchanged gifts. The Pope and George Bush then took a short stroll through the Vatican Gardens. The Vatican’s Sistine Chapel Choir sang for the US president and his wife before the two leaders wished each other good bye. Bush’s visit to the Vatican on Friday was part of his weeklong farewell European trip before he steps down as US president on Jan. 20, 2009.