Sean Spicer Finally Gets To Meet The Pope (Photo)

It was a long time coming, but former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer has finally met Pope Francis.

Spicer, a devout Catholic, was famously denied an opportunity to meet the pope earlier this year during President Trump's trip to the Vatican, a move that many saw as punishment for a press secretary caught in the midst of a maelstrom of bad publicity for Trump.

But on Sunday, Spicer was able to briefly visit with the pope during a special audience at the Vatican on Sunday — just days before he left the White House for good.

Sean Spicer finally got to meet Pope Francis https://t.co/LqHyqv6pmt pic.twitter.com/tUTKUcUFyK
— CNN (@CNN) August 31, 2017

Spicer stepped down earlier this summer to make way for Anthony Scaramucci, although he stuck around for weeks afterward to keep the transition as smooth as possible. Remarkably, he still outlasted Scaramucci, who was fired after just 10 days at his position.

Spicer has had a rough year since Trump took office in January. His very first interaction with reporters was a negative one, delivering a brief statement in which he slammed the press for downplaying Trump's inauguration crowd size.

Watch: Sean Spicer Crossed An Item Off His Bucket List

Things didn't get better in the coming months, as crisis after crisis slammed the White House press secretary. The situation got so bad that comedienne Melissa McCarthy dressed in drag and impersonated "Spicy," hurling objects at reporters during a recurring skit on "Saturday Night Live."

Spicer was at the Vatican for a nonpartisan gathering of the International Catholic Legislators Network.

Thursday, Aug. 31 is Spicer's last day in the Trump White House. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who has been conducting press briefings for months now, will take over as the new press secretary. Staff reportedly will throw Spicer a farewell party, making him the first Trump White House employee to leave on relatively good terms.

Image via White House