Elon Musk meets the Pope before using Twitter to announce the audience

Tesla CEO Elon Musk, whose 44 billion US dollar (£36.4 billion) bid to buy Twitter remains in limbo, used the social media platform to announce he had met with Pope Francis.

“Honoured to meet @Pontifex yesterday,” Musk tweeted of the Friday afternoon audience, alongside a photo showing Musk, Francis and four of Musk’s teenage children.

The Vatican did not announce the audience or provide any information about what was discussed.

Musk’s tweet followed one of a street scene in Venice, suggesting he might have had other stops on his tour.

Francis frequently meets with high-profile figures in strictly private audiences that are held in a reception room of the Vatican hotel where he lives.

A common talking point he uses when meeting with corporate CEOs is to appeal for them to use wealth and technology to help the poorest while caring for God’s creation.

On June 21, Twitter’s board recommended shareholders approve Musk’s proposed purchase, though shares of Twitter remain far below his offering price, signalling considerable doubt the sale will actually happen.