John Kerry makes first Vatican visit, hints at Obama meeting with Pope Francis

c. 2014 Religion News Service

ROME (RNS) U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met with his Vatican counterpart for more than 90 minutes Tuesday (Jan. 14), discussing the Syrian civil war and the negotiations between Israel and Palestinians, and hinted that President Barack Obama hopes to meet with Pope Francis in the coming months.

Kerry did not meet with the pope, but rather with Archbishop Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s secretary of state. Kerry called the meeting “as comprehensive a conversation as I’ve had with any secretary of state or foreign minister in the course of my tenure.”