Overview
- Pope Leo XIV held a private audience with former Obama adviser David Axelrod on Thursday, with Axelrod’s name on the Holy See’s official list of visitors.
- The Vatican and Axelrod offered no details, and it remains unclear if the meeting connects to reported early talks about an Obama audience.
- Obama, who shares Chicago roots and a love of the White Sox with Leo, said in February he hopes to meet the new pope.
- Vatican officials have indicated U.S. travel in 2026 is unlikely because it is an election year.
- Reporting by Christopher Hale described a tense January Pentagon session that alarmed Vatican officials, a backdrop that has limited U.S. engagements.