French President Francois Hollande met with Pope Francis privately Friday amid media speculation over his alleged affair with an actress . Hollande also plans to meet Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin and French clergy while in Rome . Hours before he arrived at the Vatican , a small bomb exploded in central Rome near a French foundation and French cultural center , police said . The blast damaged three cars and broke windows in two nearby buildings , said Agostino Vitolo , a spokesman for Italy 's military police , or Carabinieri . There 's been no claim of responsibility for the bomb . It 's unclear whether its detonation is linked to the visit by the French President . Hollande 's private life has been the subject of global headlines since claims in the French magazine Closer of a two-year affair with actress Julie Gayet . The allegations of an affair have left the position of the President 's partner , Valerie Trierweiler , in some doubt . It 's not clear whether she will accompany Hollande on a state visit to Washington next month . Hollande and Trierweiler are working to issue a `` clarification '' concerning their relationship , Trierweiler 's attorney , Frederique Giffard , told the French daily newspaper Le Figaro in an interview published late Thursday . After the alleged love affair , Trierweiler `` truly wants to resolve the matter in order to come out of it in the most dignified way possible , '' Giffard told Le Figaro . Trierweiler has been Hollande 's partner for several years . Last weekend , she left the hospital where she 'd spent a week being treated for stress and fatigue , Paris Match magazine reported . The same magazine -- where Trierweiler is a longtime correspondent -- said Saturday that she would recover for `` several days '' in an official residence in Versailles . Hollande may hope his visit to Rome will help improve his standing in France , a majority-Catholic country . His relationship with many Catholics was damaged by a bruising battle last year over the passage of a law allowing same-sex marriage and adoption . The measure was one of Hollande 's election pledges . The Catholic Church in France opposed the legislation . Many of the faithful joined huge marches in protest against it , but they were unable to stop it from becoming law . Nationwide , Hollande has seen his personal approval ratings plummet since his election in 2012 , although this has been attributed to dissatisfaction with his leadership rather than disapproval of his private life . A recent survey by French pollster Ifop with French newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche found that more than 80 % of respondents had not changed their opinion of the President based on the allegations of an affair .
President Francois Hollande meets with Pope Francis at the Vatican . The Catholics President 's visit to France comes amid turmoil in his private life . Hours before his visit , a small bomb exploded near buildings with links to France . Le Figaro and Pope Francis are working to clarify their relationship , Hollande says .