Pope Francis is Feeling The Bern, met personally with Sanders this morning!

When the Pope wants to meet you, you say yes.

Especially when you’re an actual progressive, and the Pope in question is the most socially progressive pontiff in the entire history of the Catholic Church, known for his advocacy on behalf of the poor, against social inequality, against war, and for an immediate end to global warming.

Pope Francis met with Bernie Sanders this morning, as the two crossed paths in the papal residence just before Francis left to meet with refugees on the island of Lesvos to raise European consciousness on their plight.

As the WaPo initially reported:

The meeting took place at the papal residence early Saturday, according Sanders spokesman Michael Briggs.

A Vatican source said the meeting was not a chance encounter and had been planned.

[SEE UPDATE below*: Facing blowback for the appearance of any political maneuver, the Pope, ever the consummate diplomat, while confirming the meeting, downplayed any significance or prior planning, portraying the encounter as polite and a product of circumstance. In respect, the prior reporting has been softened since the original story broke to reflect Francis’s careful phrasing]

Sanders had been discreet about his plans after speaking at the conference the Vatican had invited him to address as a superstar headliner. And now, according to multiple sources including the AP, the reasons for that discretion have become clear. When Pope Francis is pulling you into into his orbit for the honor of a personal meeting, you have no choice but to accept:

Sanders and wife, Jane, stayed overnight at the pope's residence, the Domus Santa Marta hotel in the Vatican gardens, on the same floor as the pope.

Wow. This honor is YUGE!

So how did the meeting this morning go?

Sanders said the meeting took place Saturday morning before the pope left for his one-day visit to Greece. He said he was honored by the meeting, and that he told the pope he appreciated the message that he is sending the world about the need to inject morality and justice into the world economy. Sanders said it's a message he has been sending as well.

"We had an opportunity to meet with him this morning," Sanders said. "It was a real honor for me, for my wife and I to spend some time with him. I think he is one of the extraordinary figures not only in the world today but in modern world history.”

Asked what they discussed, Sanders said they mostly spoke briefly about climate change and foreign policy matters. He said he spent a good part of the meeting expressing his admiration for the Pope, especially his efforts to push for a more fair and just economic system:

"His message is resonating with every religion on earth with people who have no religion and it is a message that says we have got to inject morality and justice into the global economy," Sanders said.

Sanders said the meeting should not be viewed as the pope injecting himself into the campaign. "The issues that I talked about yesterday at the conference as you well know are issues that I have been talking about not just throughout this campaign but throughout my political life. And I am just very much appreciated the fact that the pope in many ways has been raising these issues in a global way in the sense that I have been trying to raise them in the United States."

An official Vatican twitter account subsequently sent out papal confirmation of the meeting:

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.@Pontifex spoke to @SenSanders about foreign policy and climate issues, five minutes before leaving for Lesbos https://t.co/wLyLNB8Ayc

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And Sanders and his wife Jane were caught on camera leaving the Pope’s residence just after his historic meeting. It is the first time a Pope has met with a candidate for President of the US:

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After mtg w/ @pontifex this am, @sensanders emerges from Pope's residence (DSM). Talked #climatechange@CasinaPioIVpic.twitter.com/HrpmVYsDlt