Cardinal George Pell dined with Scott Pruitt, the embattled head of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), at the five-star Hotel Eden in Rome last year, according to records released by the New York Times.
The New York Times' Eric Lipton obtained records of the June 2017 meeting under the Freedom of Information Act. The documents show Mr Pruitt's movements during his Vatican trip.
The records also suggest that Cardinal Pell and Mr Pruitt discussed setting up a two-sided "debate" on man-made climate change.
In an email sent during the dinner, an EPA staff member said Cardinal Pell and Mr Pruitt discussed an article by the Wall Street Journal which proposed a “red team/blue team” climate change debate.
Mr Lipton, the Times reporter, commented that Cardinal Pell's name was left off multiple versions of Mr Pruitt’s schedule for the trip, which included special tours.
The revelations come as Mr Pruitt faces scrutiny for potential ethics lapses, including flying first class, excessive spending on security, and the rental of a room in a Washington condominium owned by the wife of an energy lobbyist.
Cardinal Pell, who is Australia's most senior Catholic, will soon face trial in Victoria on charges of historical sexual offences. 
In this June 1, 2017, photo, President Donald Trump listens as EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt speaks about the U.S. role in the Paris climate change accord Source: AAP
Pruitt under fire
Named by the US president last year to head the EPA, Mr Pruitt was charged with carrying out a top Trump priority: dismantling the environmental legacy of his predecessor, Barack Obama.
Having built a reputation in Oklahoma - where was attorney general - as a fervent defender of fossil fuel industries, Mr Pruitt has attacked his new mission with zeal, winning rave reviews from conservative groups but fierce censure from liberals and environmentalists.
Despite the mounting attacks, President Trump has continued to defend his appointee - something he did not do as ardently when his secretaries of veterans' affairs and of health came under fire.
Yet, the list of potential ethical violations facing the EPA administrator has been growing by the week, fuelled by revelations in the news media and from Democratic politicians.
Pruitt has in fact frequently flown first class, accompanied by a sizable security team - a necessary precaution, the EPA has maintained, given threats from his detractors.
But that argument lost steam after it was learned that while flying privately at his own expense, Pruitt has travelled economy class.
And critics say his security team is unjustifiably large, involving at least 19 agents and 19 vehicles providing round-the-clock protection, according to CNN.
Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse said EPA employees had told him confidentially that Mr Pruitt used as many as 30 security agents during one six-week period.
By comparison, Gina McCarthy, who headed the EPA under President Obama, used only a half-dozen bodyguards and travelled alone on weekends.
And Christine Todd, who led the agency under George W. Bush, told CNN that she would walk to work on her own.
White House spokesman Raj Shah on Thursday said the allegations of ethical missteps "have raised some concerns".
The White House is hopeful Mr Pruitt will be able to answer those concerns, Shah said aboard Air Force One en route to Elkhart, Indiana.
“The president is pleased with the job that he’s doing as the administrator. However, the issues that have been raised that I think you guys are all familiar with - they have raised some concerns," Shah said.
"We’re hopeful and expecting that Administrator Pruitt will be able to answer those."
- Additional reporting by AFP
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