VIDALIA — Vidalia Mayor Hyram Copeland will join leaders from across the country today in welcoming Pope Francis to the White House.

Copeland will represent the Mississippi River Cities & Towns Initiative, of which he is co-chair, in Washington, D.C., during the pope’s visit.

During Pope Francis’ six-day, three-city visit to the U.S., he will meet with President Obama, address Congress, speak at the United Nations in New York and take part in a Vatican-sponsored conference on the family in Philadelphia.

Copeland will participate in the White House arrival ceremony for the pope as well as attend the joint session of Congress at which Pope Francis is scheduled to speak.

“I consider it a tremendous honor, and I feel honored to represent Vidalia in this capacity,” Copeland said.

During his trip to D.C., Copeland will also meet with representatives from the Delta Regional Authority, U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration and various legislators in his capacity as co-chair of MRCTI.

The Mississippi River Cities & Towns Initiative is a coalition of mayors along the river aimed at creating a unified voice for the Mississippi River.

At the MRCTI annual meeting last week, the mayors vowed to make clean water and sustainable development of the Mississippi River valley their top priorities.

Copeland said his meetings in D.C. this week would be geared toward having conversations about those initiatives.