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Updated 2:45 p.m. ET

President Obama told Pope Benedict XVI at a Vatican meeting that he would work to limit how many abortions take place each year in the United States, according to a Vatican spokesman.

"The pontiff told me that President Obama affirmed his personal commitment to try to reduce the number of abortions in the United States," spokesman Federico Lombardi said, according to Agence France-Presse.

The president met with the pope for 25 minutes on Friday in the Papal Library. As the pair posed for pictures at the outset of the meeting, the president said to the pontiff, "I'm sure you're used to getting your picture taken. I'm still getting used to it."

Cameras and reporters were only allowed to record the beginning and end of the meeting. The president could be heard saying "thank you, God bless you" to Benedict as they parted. He also said he looks forward to "a very strong relationship between our two countries."

According to the White House, the two men discussed the encyclical (Papal letter) released by the pope earlier this week, and Benedict gave the president a signed copy of the encyclical. They also discussed the situation in the Middle East, Cuba and Honduras.

In addition, "they talked about interfaith dialogue, obviously mentioning the president's speech in Cairo, but also mentioning their shared desire for Middle East peace," Deputy National Security Advisor For Strategic Communications Denis McDonough said. Other topics touched on were countering Muslim extremism, immigration and bioethics.

McDonough said the president presented the pope with a letter from Senator Ted Kennedy and asked him to pray for Kennedy, who has been battling brain cancer. The content of the letter was not disclosed. Kennedy's brother John was the first Catholic president on the United States.

On taking off from Rome today, Mr. Obama called Kennedy to tell him about the meeting - and assure him the letter was delivered," reports CBS News White House correspondent Mark Knoller.

According to McDonough, Mr. Obama "was very impressed and touched by the office of the Holy Father but also by the breadth of issues that they discussed."

This was the first meeting between President Obama and Pope Benedict. Mr. Obama sought common ground on abortion and stem cell research during the meeting, McDonough said, despite the differences between Benedict and the pro-choice president.

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This post was written by Igor Kossov.

Pope Benedict XVI met with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a pro-abortion rights Democrat, at the Vatican Wednesday.

Following the 15-minute meeting, the Vatican released a statement calling on Catholic legislators – such as Pelosi – to work to end abortion.

"His Holiness took the opportunity to speak of the requirements of the natural moral law and the Church's consistent teaching on the dignity of human life from conception to natural death which enjoin all Catholics, and especially legislators, jurists and those responsible for the common good of society, to work in cooperation with all men and women of good will in creating a just system of laws capable of protecting human life at all stages of its development," the statement said.

Catholics on both sides of the abortion debate saw Pelosi's visit as an attempt to legitimize her own brand of Catholicism - "ardent" but pro-abortion rights, The Hill reported.

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