The White House announced that President Joe Biden will head to Italy early next month for a public meeting with Pope Francis in Vatican City. During the trip he will also hold meetings with Italy's Prime Minister and President.

President Joe Biden will travel to Italy next month to meet with Pope Francis and top Italian officials for what is expected to be the final international trip of his presidency.

Pope Francis on Tuesday opened the Holy Door of St Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, marking the official beginning of the Jubilee year of the Catholic Church. In a Christmas Eve ceremony rich with symbolism,

Joe Biden's visit with Pope Francis will be part of a three-day trip to Italy in January, likely the last international trip of Biden's presidency.

President Joe Biden will travel to Italy next month to meet with Pope Francis and top Italian officials for what is expected to be the final international trip of his presidency

The 88-year-old Pope Francis presided over Mass during the Night on Christmas Eve after opening the Holy Door to officially start the 2025 Jubilee Year.

“The president thanked the pope for his continued advocacy to alleviate global suffering, including his work to advance human rights and protect religious freedoms,” the statement read. “President Biden also graciously accepted His Holiness Pope Francis’ invitation to visit the Vatican next month.”

The US president will also meet Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni shortly before he leaves the White House in January.On his possibly last overseas trip before leaving office US President Joe Biden is travelling to Italy in January to meet Pope Francis and top Italian officials,

United States President Joe Biden will visit Italy in January, where he will meet with Pope Francis and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to discuss global peace efforts and various international challenges.

Over 35 million pilgrims are expected to visit Rome in 2025 seeking forgiveness of sins and a chance to see the pope.

Rome’s relationship with Jubilees dates to 1300, when Pope Boniface VIII inaugurated the first Holy Year in what historians say marked the definitive designation of Rome as the center of Christianity. Even then, the number of pilgrims was so significant that Dante referred to them in his “Inferno.”