U.S. presidents have met with the pope since 1919. It all started with Woodrow Wilson
President Biden's meeting with the pope is a fairly recent tradition for U.S. presidents. His meeting will mark the 31st time a U.S. president has met with the leader of the Catholic Church.
By late Friday morning, President Biden will have met with Pope Francis — marking the 31st time a president has met with the leader of the Catholic Church.
The convergence of the White House and the Vatican is only a tradition that began at the start of the 20th Century under President Woodrow Wilson. Even after Wilson, the next president wouldn't meet face-to-face with the pontiff again until about 40 years later.
"This is really a modern phenomenon," Shaun Casey, a professor in Georgetown University's Walsh School of Foreign Service, told NPR. Casey is also a senior fellow at the university's Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs.
