Callista Gingrich officially assumes duties as U.S. ambassador to the Holy See

Callista Gingrich has presented her letters of credentials to Pope Francis on Friday, officially marking the beginning of her duties as the new U.S. ambassador to the Holy See.

According to Catholic Herald, Gingrich, who was appointed to the position by U.S. President Donald Trump in May, met privately with Pope Francis on Dec. 22 after introducing her husband, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, and members of her staff.

No details were provided about the private discussion, but the U.S. embassy issued a statement, saying, "Ambassador Gingrich looks forward to working with the Holy See to defend human rights, advance religious freedom, combat human trafficking and to seek peaceful solutions to crises around the world."

Just weeks before the papal audience, the pope had expressed his disagreements with Trump on several issues. The pontiff had urged the U.S. president to respect the "status quo" of Jerusalem by refraining from recognizing the city as the capital of Israel until its status is determined by a peace process.

The Vatican had also raised concerns about the Trump administration's decision to pull out of the U.N. process for drafting global compacts on migration and on refugees, as well as the administration's withdrawal of U.S. support for the Paris Accord on reducing climate change.

Gingrich arrived in Rome with her husband on Nov. 6. She has since participated in several events in the city, including the North American College Thanksgiving dinner and a charity event hosted by St. Patrick's American Community.

Before she was appointed as the ambassador, Gingrich had previously served as a Congressional aide. She is a long-time member of the choir at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. and she also serves as the president of both Gingrich Productions in Arlington, Va. and the charitable non-profit Gingrich Foundation. She was confirmed to her post by the Senate by a vote of 70–23 in October.

During the meeting with Francis, she presented the pontiff with a collection of sacred music recorded by her choir and also gave him a donation to the charity of his choice. After the meeting she was accompanied to St. Peter's Basilica by Mgr. Francis Kelly, a priest of the Diocese of Worcester, Massachusetts, and a canon of St. Peter's Basilica.

On Thursday, Gingrich and her husband attended the funeral for Cardinal Bernard Law, the former Bishop of Boston who resigned from his post in 2002 following explosive revelations that he failed to stop pedophile priests in the church. The funeral was also attended by about a half dozen ambassadors and by Louis Bono, the current chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy to the Vatican.