US presidential contender Bernie Sanders briefly met Pope Francis at the Vatican on Saturday.
The five-minute meeting took place in the foyer at the Pope’s residence at the Vatican.
Pope Francis later referred to the meeting as “a matter of politeness”.
The Pope added “ . . . and if anybody thinks that greeting somebody amounts to meddling in politics, they should go find a psychiatrist”.
Mr Sanders had attended a conference on economics at the Vatican on Friday.