ROME (WASHINGTON POST) - Sean Spicer got his chance to meet Pope Francis this week, after once being denied the opportunity.

Spicer, who is Catholic, was serving as US President Donald Trump's press secretary when Trump travelled to the Vatican in May.

But Trump didn't include Spicer in the contingent that held a private audience with Francis - a group that included the president's family members, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and two more State Department officials, communications adviser Hope Hicks, bodyguard-turned-White House official Keith Schiller and social media director Dan Scavino.

At the time, some White House watchers speculated that Trump purposely left out his press secretary, who was on shaky ground. And many commentators said they felt bad for Spicer, who attends Mass regularly and would have been deeply moved to meet the Pope.

On Sunday, Spicer got his chance.

Official Vatican photographs show that he was one of dozens of people involved in governments around the world whom Francis personally greeted at the International Catholic Legislators Network meeting.

Spicer, who could not be reached for comment about his latest Vatican visit, resigned his position as press secretary two months after the trip with Trump. He quit in protest of Trump's appointment of Anthony Scaramucci as communications director; Scaramucci remained in that job for just 10 days.