Mayor Adams to Meet With Pope Francis in Rome

Mayor Eric Adams will travel to Rome on Thursday to meet with Pope Francis, becoming the latest in a recent succession of New York City mayors to pay respects to the leader of the Catholic Church.

The trip comes as Mr. Adams, a moderate Democrat facing languishing poll numbers and a federal criminal investigation, prepares to run for re-election next year in what is expected to be a contested primary.

The mayor will be accompanied by one of his closest advisers, Frank Carone, a former chief of staff who is now the de facto head of Mr. Adams’s campaign. A spokesman for the mayor had no immediate comment when asked about the trip; nearly an hour later, the mayor’s press office released an advisory that Mr. Adams would be in Rome later this week.

The advisory mentions “travel to the Vatican City,” but does not specify whether he will meet with the pope. But two sources familiar with Mr. Adams’s itinerary confirmed that he would see Pope Francis.

Fabien Levy, a spokesman for the mayor, later confirmed that Mr. Adams would have “a private audience with the Holy Father.”

He declined to say who would accompany the mayor on his trip or what he hoped to address with the pope. Mr. Adams’s office said a foundation created by Pope Francis, the Fratelli Tutti Foundation, would pay for his travels. Mr. Adams is scheduled to return to New York on Monday, May 13.