A close advisor to Pope Francis tweeted that the Pope was, in his words, “exploited” by those who set up what the CBS 2 source says was a “meeting that never should have taken place.”

Some call it an attempt by highly placed church leaders in the U.S. to diminish the impact of the Pope’s visit.

Archbishop Cupich tried to downplay both the meeting and its significance.

“It is his way of saying that walls of communication need to come down. Meeting with someone is not an endorsement of that person’s position,” Cupich said.