Irish leader Enda Kenny will meet Pope Benedict this Saturday at the papal retreat at Castle Gandolfo.

Kenny is in Rome to meet the Italian Prime Minister and will go on to meet the Pope along with other European Union leaders.

Soon after taking office, Kenny made a major statement strongly criticizing the Vatican’s handling of sex scandals involving their priests in Ireland.

The Vatican refuted his allegation that they had stalled inquiries into suspected pedophile and relations since have been at a low ebb.

As a result, the meeting on Saturday is a major development in relations between the two countries.