Pope Benedict XVI is scheduled to arrive in Washington Tuesday and stay in town until Friday morning.
President Bush plans to meet Benedict's plane at Andrew's Air Force Base, The Associated Press reported Sunday.
It will be the first time Bush has met a foreign leader at the airport, according to the AP.
The president will also host an arrival ceremony Wednesday morning with 12,000 attendees, a 21-gun salute, and the U.S. Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps. That evening, there will be a high-profile dinner held in honor of Benedict's 81st birthday. He will not attend the dinner, the AP reported.
Bush explained the special treatment during a Friday interview with the EWTN Global Catholic Network.
"One, he speaks for millions," he said, "Two, he doesn't come as a politician; he comes as a man of faith."
Bush holds the record for highest number of presidential-papal meetings during his tenure at the White House - he has held five meetings with two popes, according to the AP.
-CHRISTOPHER COTTRELL
