Bush to meet pope in medieval Vatican tower

Agence France-Presse
06/09/2008

VATICAN CITY -- Pope Benedict XVI will play host to US President George W. Bush in an unusual setting in the Vatican gardens when he visits on Friday, spokesman Federico Lombardi said.

The head of the Roman Catholic Church will meet with Bush, who headed to Europe early Monday, in the medieval St John's Tower which was restored under pope John XXIII in the early 1960s and is reserved for illustrious guests.

The pope usually receives foreign dignitaries in the Apostolic library but protocol there rarely leaves room for spontaneity.

In meeting Bush at Saint John's Tower the pope wanted to pay back some of the warmth showered on him when they met at the White House on April 16, said Lombardi. the rest