While Pope Francis’ infamous Getty photo with President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Trump and daughter Ivanka Trump turned heads (including the pope’s) last May, it likely turned then-Press Secretary Sean Spicer’s stomach even more. That’s because the devout Roman Catholic was reportedly sidelined from the president’s official papal visit. At the time, CNN indicated that Spicer was informed “there wasn’t room for him on the roster,” but they also noticed several lower-ranking White House staffers were allowed to accompany Trump’s entourage to Vatican City. Many suspected it had to do with Spicer’s poor TV performances.
Now that facing a regular barrage of critical reporters is no longer on his itinerary, however, it seems Trump’s ex-press secretary has finally met His Holiness. According to the Associated Press, a photo posted to the Vatican Radio’s official English-language page revealed Spicer front and center at a recent audience with Pope Francis. Vatican spokesperson Greg Burke later confirmed the former White House staffer had in fact attended the gathering “as part of an annual meeting of the International Catholic Legislators Network.”
Whether or not the two men spoke with one another remains to be seen, as the posted photo simply depicts a smiling Spicer snapping a picture of the Pope with his smartphone. The would-be Dancing with the Stars contestant didn’t respond to CNN’s request for comment either.
(Via Associated Press & CNN)