Obama Plans to Meet with Pope

Daily Women's Health Policy Report: Pope, Obama to Hold Meeting After G-8 Summit: 

Pope Benedict XVI has agreed to meet with President Obama at the Vatican on July 10, according to White House spokesperson Robert Gibbs, the AP/Boston Globe reports. The Rev. Federico Lombardi, a Vatican spokesperson, on Wednesday said that the pope will hold an afternoon meeting with the president and first lady Michelle Obama after the conclusion of the Group of Eight industrialized nations summit meeting, a break with a Vatican tradition of holding midday meetings. The AP/Globe reports that the Vatican "clearly sought to accommodate" the president's schedule, an indication that Benedict is interested in meeting with Obama despite his support for abortion rights and embryonic stem cell research.  

Some U.S. bishops have publicly attacked Obama's support of abortion rights and embryonic stem cell research, which has fueled anticipation of a meeting between the president and the pope. 

Julie Graves Krishnaswami