Venezuelan President Maduro to meet with Pope Francis

CARACAS, Venezuela – Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro is scheduled to meet Pope Francis at the Vatican on June 17.

It would be Maduro's first meeting with the new pope, who has called on Venezuela's political rivals to work toward reconciliation following the April 14 presidential election that Maduro won by a thin margin.

Both official Vatican News Agency and Venezuelan state news media on Monday reported the planned meeting.

Since taking office, Maduro has continued the frequent professions of Christian faith that were a hallmark of his mentor, the late President Hugo Chavez.