Pope to receive Barack Obama March 27

Jan. 22, 2014: U.S. president, Barack Obama, will be received in audience by Pope Francis March 27 . This was announced by the White House and confirmed by the Vatican. It will be Obama’s first meeting with the current Pontiff . The White House said Obama “looks forward to discussing with Pope Francis their shared commitment to fighting poverty and growing inequality'' during their March 27 meeting. Obama also plans to meet in Rome with President Giorgio Napolitano and Prime Minister Enrico Letta.
The U.S. president will arrive in Rome as part of a trip to Europe that will see him in The Hague, Netherlands, on 24 and 25 March for the nuclear security summit sponsored by the Dutch government and bilateral meetings. On the 26th of the same month, Obama will also be in Brussels for the EU-US summit, and meetings with the Belgian Government and the NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen .