Pope Francis is the son of immigrants, like many living in the United States, he told its president Barack Obama on Wednesday at the start of a five-day visit to the country.
"Coming from a family of immigrants, I am happy to be a guest of this nation, which was built in great part by such families," Francis said at a ceremony at the White House to welcome him to the US.
"I am looking forward joyfully to these days of meeting and dialogue, during which I hope to listen to and share many of the hopes and dreams of the American people," Francis added.
Francis, whose birth name is Jorge Mario Bergoglio was born in the Argentinian capital Buenos Aires, the eldest son of Italian immigrant Mario Jose Bergoglio from the Piedmont region and Regina Maria Sivori, who was born in Buenos Aires to immigrants from Piedmont and the neighbouring Liguria region.
Obama was born in the US state of Hawaii to American mother Stanley Ann Dunham, who was of mostly English ancestry, and to Kenyan father Barack Obama Snr, a student.
