The Donald Trump administration went too far with the exploitation of Pope Francis in the final stages of the US presidential race.
Paul Richard Gallagher, Archbishop and Secretary of the Vatican for Foreign Policy, spoke about this in a comment for the Italian agency Ansa.
“That is why the Pope will not meet with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo”, – a senior Vatican official said.
The head of the US State Department visited the embassy in the Vatican the day before, speaking at a conference on religious freedom. However, it was not possible to meet with Pontiff Pompeo. Francis refused to negotiate with the American diplomat, citing the imminence of the US elections.
However, this step may also be related to Pompeo’s criticism of the Vatican, which, despite Washington’s anti-Chinese campaign, decided to renew the agreement on the appointment of bishops in the PRC, which was signed two years ago.