Sean Spicer didn't get to meet Pope Francis

When President Trump's entourage descended upon the Vatican on Wednesday, one staff member was notably absent: spokesman Sean Spicer.

White House officials said that Spicer's exclusion was because of limitations imposed by the Vatican on the number of people allowed, according to CNN.

But in addition to members of the president's family — first lady Melania Trump, daughter and assistant Ivanka Trump and son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner — Trump's Vatican delegation included Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, national security adviser Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, communications director Hope Hicks, social media director Dan Scavino, State Department policy planning director Brian Hook, and Oval Office operations director (and former Trump bodyguard) Keith Schiller. (A full list of the delegation was not provided to the pool.)

When told Spicer, who is a devout Catholic, was left out, a source told CNN, "Wow. That's all he wanted."

The snub came a week after reports that the president is looking to shake up his communications team, which could include replacing Spicer. The incident also inspired sympathy for the embattled press secretary, including people who worked with former President Obama and members of the media.