US President George W Bush will pay his first visit to Pope Benedict in June, the Vatican said today.
Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said Mr Bush will meet the Pope on June 9th or 10th after attending a Group of Eight summit in Germany.
Pope Benedict, who was elected two years ago after the death of John Paul II, last week lamented the "continual slaughter" in Iraq. "Nothing positive comes from Iraq," he said in his Easter message.
A White House source said on Thursday that mr Bush may also see Prime Minister Romano Prodi during his trip to Rome.
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Relations between the two countries have been strained since Mr Prodi took office a year ago, replacing centre-right leader Silvio Berlusconi, a staunch US ally.