US President Barack Obama ended his first meeting with Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican, the AP reports.

Obama and Benedict met for about 25 minutes in the Papal Library. First Lady Michelle Obama joined the President near the end of the meeting with the pope.

Obama and the pope exchanged gifts. Then the president headed for a flight to Ghana, the final stop on his weeklong trip.

Fox News‘ live coverage showed the two men meeting, shaking hands and posing to photographers and cameramen. After that leaders of USA and Vatican sat down at a desk and began talking about earthly matters.

“It’s a great honour,” Obama told the Pope. The pope asked about the Group of Eight summit, Obama said it “was very productive.”

Before meeting the Pope, Obama was greeted by Swiss Guards and Vatican’s secretary of state, Cardinal Tarciso Bertone.

Obama’s aide Denis McDonough said before the meeting that “there are issues on which they’ll agree, issues on which they’ll disagree, and issues on which they’ll agree to continue to work on going forward”.

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