A look at pope-president meetings Some notable moments in the 89-year history of pope-and-president meetings: _President Kennedy's 1963 meeting with Pope Paul VI at the Vatican was historic: the first Roman Catholic president of the United States was seeing the Roman Catholic pontiff only days after his coronation. Kennedy, who struggled against anti-Catholic bias during his presidential campaign, only shook hands with the pope rather than kissing his ring, as is the usual practice for Catholics. _Pope Paul VI's trip to New York in October 1965 presented protocol problems. President Johnson wanted to see him, but the pontiff was a chief of a state not officially recognized by the U.S. The solution: Johnson flew to New York for dinner at the apartment of his friend Arthur Goldberg, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, and the pontiff was welcomed to Johnson's suite at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel the next day. _Johnson had a penchant for somewhat odd papal presents. At that 1965 meeting, his gifts to Paul included a silver-framed, autographed photograph of himself. Two years later, at their next meeting at the Vatican, Johnson presented the pontiff with a foot-high bust of himself. _President Carter hosted the first White House by a pope. Pope John Paul II was greeted at Andrews Air Force Base outside Washington by Vice President Walter Mondale. His stay at the White House featured 10,000 guests -- split between separate arrival and departure ceremonies on the North and South Lawns. _President Reagan had trouble keeping his eyes open on his first visit to the Vatican in 1982. Reagan's head bobbed and his eyes repeatedly closed for seconds at a time while John Paul talked solemnly of crises in the Falkland Islands and Lebanon. The incident came during a 10-day European trip with a schedule unusually packed for Reagan. But it fed already rampant talk that the 71-year-old president wasn't physically up to the job. _Reagan sparked controversy over the separation of church and state by establishing in 1984 formal U.S. diplomatic relations with the Vatican, a long desire of the Holy See. Shortly afterward, Reagan and John Paul met during refueling stops at the airport in Fairbanks, Alaska (their paths were crossing as one finished and one began trips to Asia). The Alaska stop generated tons of excitement, but also scores of T-shirts reading "The Pope Meets the Dope." _For his last of four meetings with Pope John Paul, President Clinton flew to St. Louis to greet the pontiff as he began a U.S. tour. Back in Washington, the Senate was in the throes of its impeachment trial against Clinton, and John Paul said "America faces a time of trial." But it was generally assumed that the pontiff, who also challenged Americans to "a higher moral vision," was speaking about his long-running, unusually public and sharp dispute with the pro-choice Clinton over abortion. _At George W. Bush's last meeting with John Paul, at the Vatican, in June 2004, he presented him with the Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor. The pontiff responded by reading a statement about his "grave concern" over events in Iraq, where the U.S.-led war had been going on for just over a year. _After John Paul died in 2005, Bush became the first sitting U.S. president to attend a papal funeral. _At his first audience with John Paul's successor, Pope Benedict XVI, Bush's overly casual behavior was noted by many Italians and Vatican watchers. He addressed the pope as "sir," rather than the customary "your holiness," and leaned far back in his chair with one leg thrown informally over another, instead of the ramrod-straight physical posture more commonly seen in the pontiff's presence. Rome's ANSA agency flashed a "Gaffe Presidente" headline. _For Benedict's first U.S. tour as pope, Bush is committing several firsts: traveling out to Andrews Air Force Base to meet the pontiff's plane, bringing the largest crowd of his presidency to the South Lawn for Benedict's arrival ceremony, and hosting a dinner in the pope's honor -- and on his birthday -- that Benedict is not going to attend. ___ By Jennifer Loven, with researcher Susan James in New York contributing to this report. Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Enlarge AP Pope Paul VI, left, and President Lyndon B. Johnson are seen during the Pontiff's visit to New York in this Oct. 4, 1965 file photo. The trip presented protocol problems. President Johnson wanted to see him, but the pontiff was a chief of a state not officially recognized by the U.S. The solution