U.S.'s Pompeo, Pope Francis urge religious freedom in Mideast, elsewhere - State Dept.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo shakes hands with Pope Francis on the sidelines of a symposium at the Vatican, October 3, 2019 in this still image taken from a video. Vatican Media/­Reuters TV via REUTERS

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo agreed on the importance of protecting the rights of Christian minorities in the Middle East during a meeting at the Vatican on Thursday, the U.S. State Department said.

Pompeo, whose trip to Italy, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Greece has been overshadowed by an impeachment inquiry at home targeting President Donald Trump, met the pope for about a half an hour.