Pope Leo XIV received Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado in the Vatican on Monday, without disclosing details of the meeting.

Ms Machado has been touring Europe.

She reappeared publicly in December after spending 11 months in hiding to accept the Nobel Peace Prize in Norway.

After the U.S. military’s lightning raid to capture Venezuela’s authoritarian leader Nicolás Maduro in Caracas on January 3, the pope had called for Venezuela’s sovereignty to be respected and said, “The good of the beloved Venezuelan people must prevail over every other consideration.”

The first pope from the U.S. also said he was following developments in the South American country with deep concern.

Ms Machado, widely seen by supporters as a leading hope for political change in Venezuela, has praised U.S. President Donald Trump for his military intervention, despite accusations that he broke international law.

After Mr Maduro’s arrest, Mr Trump expressed scepticism about Ms Machado’s suitability as a successor, saying she did not have the necessary support or respect within Venezuela to govern it.

Recently, however, he said a meeting with her could be in the works.

Speaking on Fox News late last week, Mr Trump said he had heard Ms Machado would be arriving in the U.S. sometime this week and that he looked forward “to saying hello to her.”

(dpa/NAN