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Secretary of State Blinken meets Pope Francis, gets VIP tour of Sistine Chapel

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Posted at 5:58 AM, Jun 28, 2021
and last updated 2021-06-28 07:31:57-04

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has received VIP treatment at the Vatican, getting a private tour of the Sistine Chapel before he met with Pope Francis.

There were no immediate details Monday of the two men's closed-door talks in the Apostolic Palace.

Last year, when the Trump administration sent U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to Rome for a conference on religious freedom, Francis didn't grant him a meeting.

Vatican officials at the time said that was to avoid any suggestion of favoritism ahead of the U.S. presidential election that brought Blinken's boss, President Joe Biden, to power.