Katy Perry was seen shaking hands with Pope Francis on Saturday as she attended a conference with her boyfriend Orlando Bloom at the Vatican.
The 33-year-old pop singer was greeted by the pontiff inside the Paul VI Hall during the fourth annual "Unite To Cure" conference, in which experts discuss issues related to health, entertainment, media and technology.
The meeting was reportedly shared by Perry on an Instagram story, in which she also revealed that she was at the conference to speak about meditation.
"Happy Saturday everyone, I'm here in Rome at the Vatican, to speak on meditation. I'm with my momma, my darling [Orlando], and my manager, Steve! It's a great day! I am so excited!" the pop star wrote, according to the Daily Mail.
After attending the conference, Perry and Bloom took some time to visit the Colosseum and the Sistine Chapel.
Perry's meeting with the pope came amid her legal dispute with Catholic nuns over the sale of a convent in Los Angeles. One of the nuns involved in the court battle, Sister Rita Callanan, recently appealed to Pope Francis to intervene as the sale of the property awaits Vatican approval.
Callanan and her fellow Sister Catherine Rose Holzman opposed the sale of the convent to Perry and tried to sell it to restaurateur Dana Hollister.
A $15.5 million deal was signed by the businesswoman before the Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles could sell the property to Perry. A court, however, ruled that the nuns' attempt to sell the property was not valid as they did not have the authority to dispose of the property and they failed to produce the documents for the deal.
In her letter to the pope, Callanan insisted that local Archbishop Jose Gomez sold the property to Perry without their approval.
"He tried to sell our convent without our approval to a person whom we do not support. It is the pop star Katy Perry. We do not agree with her lifestyle that has strayed far from any faith ... At the end of our lives, we find ourselves fighting for justice and for what is right," she said, according to Fox News.
Perry was raised by devout Christian parents and started out her career by singing Gospel music, but the pop star sparked controversy over her 2008 hit song "I Kissed a Girl."
In an interview with with Marie Claire in 2013, Perry stressed that she does not believe "in a heaven or a hell or an old man sitting on a throne," although she expressed her belief in a "higher power" that "keeps me accountable."
