WASHINGTON,DC - DECEMBER 8: President Joe Biden addresses the nation from the Roosevelt Room at the White House following the fall of the Assad regime in Syria on December 8, 2024. (Photo by Allison Robbert for The Washington Post via Getty Images)
President Joe Biden will travel to Italy next month for his final international trip as president, meeting Pope Francis and Italian leaders.
Biden to meet Pope Francis at the Vatican
Biden accepted an invitation from Pope Francis during a call on Thursday. Their discussions will include advancing global peace and addressing human rights issues.
Meetings with Meloni and Mattarella scheduled
VATICAN CITY, VATICAN – DECEMBER 24: Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni (C) attends the Christmas Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica at The Vatican on December 24, 2024 in Vatican City, Vatican. The Holy Father officially opened the Holy Year with the rite of the Opening of the Holy Door of the Papal Basilica of St. Peter at 7pm on December 24. He will then preside over the celebration of Mass on the night of the Lord’s Birth inside the Basilica. (Photo by Alessandra Benedetti – Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images)
During the Jan. 9-12 visit, Biden will meet with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and President Sergio Mattarella to discuss Italy’s leadership during its G7 presidency.
Late-term travel by presidents is rare
Biden’s overseas trip comes late in his presidency, a rare occurrence. The last president to travel this late in office was George H.W. Bush in January 1993.
Previous meetings with Pope Francis
VATICAN CITY, VATICAN – DECEMBER 24: (EDITOR NOTE: STRICTLY EDITORIAL USE ONLY – NO MERCHANDISING). Pope Francis officially inaugurates the 2025 Jubilee Year with the solemn opening of the Holy Door at St. Peter’s Basilica on December 24, 2024 in Vatican City, Vatican. Since 1300, when Pope Boniface VIII issued the first Jubilee Bull, millions of pilgrims have journeyed to Rome. Their outward pilgrimage symbolised an inner desire for renewal, seeking to align their daily lives—despite challenges and struggles—with the hope of the Gospel. For the first time in the Jubilee tradition, Pope Francis will open a fifth sacred portal in a Roman prison on 26 December. (Photo by Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty Images)
Biden, a devout Catholic, has met Pope Francis multiple times. Their past talks included climate change, poverty, and the president’s personal grief over losing his son Beau.
Trip coincides with Vatican holy year events
The visit aligns with the Vatican’s holy year, which began on Christmas Eve. The event is expected to attract 32 million pilgrims to Rome by 2025.
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