Hopes high for Obama meeting with Pope Francis at Vatican

Gay marriage. Abortion. Stem cell research.

Theres plenty for President Obama and Pope Francis to discuss when they meet Thursday at the Vatican.

But beyond their doctrinal differences lies a mutual desire for social justice that likely will tamp down any friction in their first meeting, analysts say.

Same-sex marriage and abortion might be points of contention, but the hope is that Mr. Obama and Francis can find a point of convergence on other topics, said Paul Manuel, director of the Institute for Leadership, a nonprofit that promotes the application of biblical wisdom in decision-making.

Were looking at two global superpowers that have competing visions of justice, said Mr. Manuel, a political science professor at Mount St. Mary's University. Im sure the White House would like to have convergence with the Vatican. One area that might help them is the popes initiative on human trafficking. I think thats something the president would be happy to discuss.

Francis this month announced his support of the National Conference of Brazilian Bishops Brotherhood Campaign, which aims to stem human slavery in Brazil.

Mr. Manuel suggested that the persecution of Christians in the Middle East as another likely topic. He said the issue could be linked to religious freedom, which is not a far stretch to link to President Obamas health care plan.

Some Catholic institutions in the U.S. have voiced opposition to the presidents signature initiative The Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare because it requires them to provide birth control for employees, contrary to Catholic doctrine.

That could be an interesting, robust conversation, Mr. Manuel said.

Francis also has advocated immigration reform and made it a priority to get countries off the brink of war, he said. Maybe there will be a discussion about peace in the Holy Land, along with Ukraine and South Sudan.

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Hopes high for Obama meeting with Pope Francis at Vatican