Obama concludes meeting with Pope Benedict XVI from AP reports on the meeting at the Vatican between the Holy Father and President Obama at the Vatican.
The pope was frank in his conversation - and pointed in his gift to Obama.
Barack Obama has first meeting with Pope Benedict XVI
After the meeting, the Vatican said the two leaders discussed immigration, the Middle East peace process and aid to developing nations. But the Vatican's statement also underscored the pair's deep disagreements on abortion.
"In the course of their cordial exchanges, the conversation turned first of all to questions which are in the interest of all and which constitute a great challenge ... such as the defense and promotion of life and the right to abide by one's conscience," the statement said.
Even in his gift to the U.S. leader, the pope sought to communicate his beliefs. Benedict gave Obama with a copy of a Vatican document on bioethics that hardened the church's opposition to using embryos for stem cell research, cloning and in-vitro fertilization.
Pope Benedict XVI Greets President Obama:
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