The two met in the "hall of divestment," the room in the bishop's residence where St. Francis stripped off his clothes and embraced a life of poverty dedicated to Christ.
Pope Francis is the first Pope in 800 years to have visited the room, where many Jews stayed during World War II.
Archbishop Domenico Sorrentino, of the Diocese of Assisi-Nocera Umbra-Gualdo Tadino, said in his address at the meeting that in that very hall, his predecessor, Bishop Giuseppe Nicolini, had welcomed many Jews during the time of Nazi occupation.
Around 200 Jewish refugees moved to Assisi during World War II, where there had never before been a Jewish community. Viterbi's father, Emilio, moved his family there in 1943.
Emilio Viterbi had been a highly esteemed professor at the University of Padua, but lost his position there in 1938 when Italy's fascist government issued racial laws which excluded Jews from higher education and public office.
In 1943, the Viterbis moved to Assisi after Italy's armistice with the Allies. Assisi attracted many refugees as its location in central Italy was closer to the front lines. The north of Italy, including Padua, was at the time under Nazi control.