Benedict's visit to the Park East synagogue on April 18 is to be the first by any pope to a Jewish house of worship in the United States and the third to any synagogue, The New York Times (NYSE:NYT) reported.

On April 17, the pope's schedule includes a meeting with 150 religious leaders from various faiths at the John Paul II Cultural Center in Washington. He has added a separate brief meeting with 50 Jewish attendees when he will present them with Passover greetings.

The Rev. James Massa, executive director of the Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs for the Catholic Bishops Conference, said that Judaism and Catholicism have a special relationship.

The schedule for the pope's visit is largely determined by the timing of events at the White House and the United Nations.