Pope Francis will become the first pontiff to address the US Congress after accepting an invitation to visit the White House

Pope Francis will become the first pontiff to address the US Congress after accepting an invitation to visit the White House.

US President Barack Obama will host the Pope on September 23, after extending an invitation during talks at the Vatican last year.

The White House said the president and the pope will continue a dialogue about poverty, the environment, immigration and promoting religious freedom.

The 78-year-old leader of the world's Roman Catholics confirmed late last year that he would visit the United States to take part in a Catholic Church congress in Philadelphia.

During the trip, he will also address the United Nations in New York and become the first pontiff to address the US Congress.

Obama and Francis met for the first time at the Vatican in March last year in talks clouded by disagreements over provisions for contraception included in the US leader's landmark health care reforms.