The Pope will honor President Bush this Friday by receiving him in the Vatican gardens, instead of the less intimate setting of the papal apartments, where he usually meets visiting dignitaries.

Not only that, but tomorrow’s edition of the official Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano touts the “unprecedented protocol” in its top story. According to the paper, the pope’s gesture is meant to repay the “cordiality of the welcome” Benedict received in Washington in April, when the president took the extraordinary step of greeting the pope on the tarmac.

In yet another sign of Vatican favor, L’Osservatore‘s front page tomorrow also features an article on Bush’s European tour this week, noting that his work to combat epidemics in Africa has been a “rarely noted, but not for this reason unimportant” part of his presidency.

Read more about the two leaders’ “remarkable” friendship here.