The Vatican has taken the first main step to implement Pope Francis’ wish that Belgium’s late king be beatified.

Pope Francis has appointed a new bishop to a Texas-based diocese who will replace a theologically conservative critic of the pontiff removed from office last year.

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.

“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 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 is expected to see Pope Francis on what is likely to be the last overseas trip of his presidency, three unnamed sources familiar with the matter told The Associated Press (AP) in a story published Thursday. The trip is scheduled for next month, according to the sources.

President Joe Biden is expected to announce soon that he will visit the Vatican to meet with Pope Francis next month for what would likely be the final international trip of his presidency

One week after the opening ceremonies of Notre-Dame Cathedral, which he chose not to attend, the pope will travel to Corsica for a religious conference. This third trip to the country once again illustrates Francis' paradoxical relationship with France.

President Biden will travel to Italy in January for meetings with Pope Francis, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Italian President Sergio Mattarella. The trip, from Jan. 9 to 12, will

AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr. President Joe Bide n will travel to Italy next month to meet with Pope Francis and top Italian officials ... Biden's support for abortion rights and same-sex marriage has put him at odds with many U.S. bishops, some of whom have ...

The 87-year-old pontiff, on his first-ever visit to Corsica, said in an address earlier Sunday that the 'concept of secularity that is not static and fixed, but evolving and dynamic', and urged people to pray for the cylone-hit French Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte.

Recommended Videos Biden accepted Francis' invitation to visit the Vatican during a phone call Thursday, according to the White House. “The President thanked the Pope for his continued advocacy ...