Vatican: Obama to Meet Pope Benedict July 10

The Vatican confirmed Wednesday that Pope Benedict XVI's first meeting with President Barack Obama will take place on July 10.

The date, originally revealed by Newsmax’s Edward Pentin last week, was officially confirmed by the Vatican's spokesman, Father Federico Lombardi. He told the Italian news agency ANSA the pope would meet Obama ''at around 4 p.m. on July 10, after the US leader has left the Group of Eight summit in L'Aquila.

[Editor's Note: Read “Pope and Obama Meeting Expected”- Go Here Now]

Lombardi said Obama would ''probably'' also meet Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, immediately before and after the audience.

The Vatican in March condemned Obama's lifting of restrictions on funding for stem-cell research imposed by his predecessor George W. Bush. In an address to a US Catholic university, Obama recently called for a ''fair-minded'' debate on abortion, which the Vatican also condemns.