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Pope Leo XIV and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese engaged in discussions at the Vatican City, marking the first private meeting between a pope and an Australian leader in 16 years.
The prime minister was met on Monday by the Swiss Guard and escorted into the Apostolic Palace, the pontiff’s private residence.
In their meeting, Pope Leo offered a blessing to the rosary beads once belonging to Albanese’s late mother, a devout Catholic, while the prime minister gifted the pope a piece of art created by an Indigenous artist.
Albanese, congratulated Pope Leo on his election and praised the Holy See’s role in promoting dialogue to pursue peace.
The prime minister also formally invited the new pope to attend the. World Eucharistic Congress, which will be hosted by Sydney in 2028.
Pope Leo, who visited Australia multiple times as the leader of the Augustinian order, is anticipated by Catholic leaders in Australia to visit the country again in his capacity as pope.
The meeting with Albanese was part of a major two days of diplomacy for the new pope since world leaders arrived in Rome for his first mass.
He also held talks with US Vice President JD Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. 
