Pope Francis met with the Sudanese woman who was sentenced to death for converting from Islam to Christianity and marrying a Christian man.

In May, Mariam Yahya Ibrahim's death sentence by a Sudanese court sparked international outrage. Eventually the charges were dropped in June, but Sudan's government accused her of trying to leave the country with falsified papers and blocked her from heading to the United States with her American-South Sudanese husband and two children, reports ABC News (Australia).

However, on Thursday, the 27-year-old mother flew into Rome on an Italian government plane with her family along with Italy's vice minister for foreign affairs, Lapo Pistelli. When she arrived, she was greeted by Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi and later had a private 30-minute meeting with the Pope in the Vatican.

"The Pope thanked her for her witness to faith," Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said, according to Reuters. He added that the meeting symbolized a "sign of closeness and solidarity for all those who suffer for their faith."

"There were no details on what led up to the 27-year-old's departure after a month in limbo in Khartoum, but a senior Sudanese official said it had been cleared by the government," reports Reuters.

"The authorities did not prevent her departure that was known and approved in advance," said a senior official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

He also told reporters at the Ciampino airport in Rome that Italy had been in "constant dialogue" with Sudan but did not provide further details on how Rome was able to secure her exit.

According to Pistelli, Ibrahim's family was in good health and plans to stay in Italy for a few days before departing for the United States.

While in Italy, the minister said he expected her to have "some important meetings."