President Obama Meets With Pope Francis For the First Time

Barack Obama met for the first time with Pope Francis at the Vatican on Thursday. The two sat down for a one-on-one chat about their shared interest in combating economic inequality. "It is a great honor. I'm a great admirer," Obama said to the pope. "Thank you so much for receiving me." While Obama didn't bring Michelle Obama and his girls with him on this trip (he brought them when he met with Pope Benedict XVI back in 2009), he did bring Secretary of State John Kerry, who is a practicing Catholic. This wasn't Kerry's first trip to the Vatican as he met with Archbishop Pietro Parolin, the Vatican's secretary of state, in January to discuss the Syrian civil war.

The Vatican was just one stop on Obama's European tour. He also visited Amsterdam, the Netherlands, where he was the subject of negative headlines after three Secret Service agents were sent home after they were found getting drunk in their hotel.