CNN :
Two of the world’s best-known public figures, Pope Francis and Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II, met for the first time Thursday in Rome.
The Queen, accompanied by husband Prince Philip, is paying a one-day visit to Italy at the invitation of Italian President Giorgio Napolitano.
She and the Duke of Edinburgh attended a lunch hosted by Napolitano, whose role as head of state is largely symbolic, at the presidential palace before heading to Vatican City.
The private audience with Pope Francis was the first meeting between the 87-year-old queen, who is Supreme Governor of the Church of England, and Pope Francis, head of the Roman Catholic Church.
According to Vatican Radio, Thursday’s audience marked the queen’s seventh encounter with a pontiff and the fifth different pope she has met. Besides trips to Rome, she also welcomed Pope John Paul II and Benedict XVI, now Pope Emeritus, on their respective visits to Britain.
Her first papal encounter was with Pope Pius in 1951, the year before she ascended the throne, the broadcaster said.
The Queen’s latest visit to Italy, at the invitation of Napolitano, was initially planned last year but was postponed because of illness.
