Bush returns to U.S. after meeting pope

President Bush's Tuesday meeting with Pope John Paul II was his last engagement before wrapping up his European tour.

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush arrived back at the White House Tuesday evening after a weeklong trip that took him to Germany, Russia, France and Italy.

Before heading home, the president stopped at the Vatican to meet with Pope John Paul II.

White House press secretary Ari Fleischer said Bush expressed his concerns regarding the standing of the church in light of the ongoing sexual abuse scandal that has embroiled the Roman Catholic Church in the United States, according to The Associated Press.

Fleischer said the president and the pope also discussed the Middle East and Russia.(Full story)

Earlier Tuesday, NATO formally recognized the end of the Cold War by welcoming Russia into a new era of cooperation.

The 19 members of the military organization signed a new partnership deal with the former communist enemy, giving the Moscow government improved status and more of a voice in NATO's affairs.

The move comes as NATO looks forward to expanding further at the end of the year and as it reassess its role in an age when Russia is no longer viewed as an adversary. It also comes as the alliance recognizes a common enemy -- terrorism.

CNN NewsPass Video    •  Russia joins NATO   •  Bush links D-Day to war on terror   •  Bush and Putin sign nuclear pact  MORE STORIES   •  Bush raising sex scandal with pope   •  Bush links D-Day to war on terror  FROM TIME.com   •  America's new best friend?   •  A risk of loose nukes  RESOURCES   •  Map: Bush in Europe   •  Gallery: President Bush's tour   •  Chart: Nuclear arms under negotiation Highlights of Bush's European trip Berlin, Germany: Met German leaders, addressed special session of Bundestag St. Petersburg, Russia: Signed arms deal with President Vladimir Putin reducing nuclear stockpiles Normandy, France: Honored World War II soldiers during a Memorial Day service Rome, Italy: Signed a pact on a limited NATO membership for Russia Vatican City: Met Pope John Paul II

In opening remarks at the meeting Tuesday, NATO Secretary-General Lord Robertson said September 11 and its "one act of terrible criminal violence" had brought home the message that the alliance must forget past differences. Rather, the NATO members must "find solutions and find them together." (Full story)

Agreement to slash nuclear arms

The NATO pact was the second major agreement involving the United States and Russia during Bush's overseas trip. Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a deal Friday to cut their strategic nuclear weapons forces by roughly two-thirds over 10 years.

"This is a historic and hopeful day for Russia and the United States, a hopeful day also for the world as a whole," Bush said after the televised signing of the documents in Putin's hometown of St. Petersburg. "It liquidates the legacy of the Cold War and the nuclear confrontation of our countries."

Putin said: "This is confirmation of our countries' choice to reduce nuclear arsenals."

The pact will cut Washington and Moscow's existing store of roughly 5,000 to 6,000 warheads by about 65 percent over the next decade.

The resulting number of warheads held by each country would range from 1,700 to 2,200. (Full story)

Tribute to World War II sacrifices

Bush paid homage to Americans who died in World War II during a Memorial Day service Monday in the northern French region of Normandy, site of one of the pivotal encounters of the war.

In a 15-minute speech to 2,000 D-Day veterans, Bush used the occasion to tie the global war on terrorism to the fight that ultimately helped lead to the end of World War II.

Speaking at the American Cemetery on a cliff overlooking Omaha Beach in Colleville-sur-Mer as a steady rain fell around him, the president said, "For some military families in America and in Europe grief is recent, with the losses we have suffered in Afghanistan.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Bush signed a pact vastly reducing their nuclear arsenals from Cold War levels.

"They can know, however, that the cause is just, and like other generations, these sacrifices have spared many others from tyranny and sorrow. "

Bush's first stop Monday was at Ste.-Mére Eglise, where he and his wife, Laura, attended a memorial service with French President Jacques Chirac.

Ste.-Mére Eglise was the first town to see battle on D-Day, June 6, 1944. (Full story)