Blinken saw Francis before the pope held his weekly audience in St. Peter's Square, and later met the Vatican's second-in-command, Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, and the Vatican's foreign minister, Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher.

The U.S. Secretary of State met with Pope Francis on Wednesday morning to talk about the Mideast and Ukraine among other geopolitical issues.

Key agenda items included the recently announced Israel-Lebanon ceasefire and efforts to address the humanitarian impacts of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken is reacting to news of a ceasefire deal between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group to end fighting in Lebanon. The deal was apparently secured by the U.

The agreement halts fighting between Israel and Hezbollah for 60 days, as negotiators aim to stop Lebanon’s deadliest war in decades.