The Vatican and the White House have announced that Pope Benedict XVI will hold his first meeting with U.S. President George Bush this June. The meeting is scheduled to take place just after the president attends the Group of Eight (G8) summit in Heiligendamm, Germany.

According to Italy’s AKI news agency, U.S. Vatican ambassador Francis Rooney said that the Holy Father and the president will discuss the "shared commitment of the United States and the Holy See to promoting human dignity around the world."

The president will be accompanied to the Vatican by his wife, Laura Bush.