Obama to attend German Protestant church gathering in May - paper

FILE PHOTO - Former president Barack Obama embraces a staff member before boarding Special Air Mission 28000, a Boeing 747 which serves as Air Force One, at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, U.S. on January 20, 2017. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo

BERLIN (Reuters) - Former U.S. President Barack Obama will attend the annual meeting of the Protestant church in Germany in late May, daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung reported Tuesday. A church spokeswoman declined to comment ahead of a news conference later on Tuesday. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel and other leaders will also attend the May 24-28 meeting, which will commemorate the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, launched when Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses on the door of Wittenberg Cathedral. Obama's visit to Germany would coincide with a NATO summit in Brussels on May 25, which his successor Donald Trump plans to attend. A crowd of more than 200,000 turned out to hear the then presidential candidate Obama speak in Germany in July 2008. (Reporting by Andrea Shalal; editing by John Stonestreet)