Last week, TVNewser received several tips that David Muir was going to get an interview with Pope Francis. After being told that was not the case, Muir tweeted a photo of himself with the Holy Father this morning. It turns out Muir moderated a “virtual audience” with Pope Francis ahead of his trip to the U.S. next month. Technically, not an interview.
The event will air as part of a one-hour special edition of “20/20” airing this Friday at 10 p.m. ET.
Muir, who was on vacation in Europe last week, was at the Vatican with Pope Francis today as he talked with individuals from three different U.S. groups, by satellite. The discussion included students at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in Chicago, congregants from a McAllen, Texas, church near the U.S.-Mexico border and a group of homeless men and women in Los Angeles, and those working with them.
Muir’s part in the event, which was not solidified until today, was helped along by Greg Burke, a former Fox News correspondent who now works for the Vatican’s office of communications.
This is a big get for ABC News and for Muir who celebrates one year as anchor of World News Tonight tomorrow. It’s also an indication that the Vatican, and this pope, are more comfortable using the media to spread their message, despite the fact that Pope Francis hasn’t watched TV in 25 years.