Europe's spiralling migrant crisis will be at the centre of talks between Pope Francis and United States president Barack Obama during his visit to Washington on 23 September, the US administration said.
The two leaders "will continue the dialogue begun in March 2014" when Obama made an official visit to the pope in the Vatican, the US administration stated.
Other issues on the agenda include assistance for the poor and marginalised, the environment and protection of religious minorities, the White House added.
Obama and the First Lady Michelle Obama will be at Andrews air force base to greet the pope when he arrives in Washington on 22 September for a five-day trip. Francis' US visit will also include stops in New York and Philadelphia, where all 10,000 tickets to an open-air mass are already taken.
Francis is expected to focus on the need for peace in a conflict-torn world facing the biggest refugee crisis since World War II when he addresses the United Nations in New York on 25 September, the Holy See said Wednesday.
More than half a million asylum-seekers have sought refuge in Europe this year from Syria, Africa and Asia, fleeing conflict, repression and poverty in what the bloc has called the worst refugee crisis in 50 years.
During his UN visit, Francis will have a private meeting with secretary-general Ban Ki-moon followed by one with UN and Vatican officials, Archbishop Bernardito Auza, the Vatican's apostolic nuncio and UN ambassador said on Wednesday.
The plight of migrants seeking safety and a new life in Europe will be feature in the pope's UN speech because it's an international issue and "a universal problem," Auza told reporters.
