Bernie Sanders pulled within two points of Hillary Clinton in a stunning new national poll and brought his progressive message to the Vatican just hours after dominating a brawling Brooklyn debate.

Sanders closed a 13-point gap in a Fox News Channel poll last month to just two points, 48-46 percent. The boost came from female voters, a longtime Clinton stronghold. The former secretary of state’s support among women dropped by 11 points, while Sanders’ showing jumped by 9 points.

Sanders still trails Clinton by ranges of 10 to 15 points in the polls in New York. And although the latest polls don’t factor in any gains from Thursday’s debate, Sanders faces an uphill battle to score big in the Empire State. But analysts say the Vermont U.S. senator can spin the primary into a victory if he closes the gap, but he would still face a daunting delegate deficit.

“At a minimum, he would have to get it down to single digits,” said Chris Galdieri, a political science professor at St. Anselm College.

“Even then … Clinton increases her lead and because New York has so many delegates, it’ll basically probably wipe out whatever ground Sanders gained in recent wins,” Galdieri said.

Sanders yesterday addressed a Vatican conference on income inequality. He had hoped to meet with Pope Francis — a photo op that would have been political gold — but the invitation alone is an important step forward for his candidacy, said Galdieri.

“I think it just gives his campaign additional stature, additional legitimacy,” Galdieri said. “It’s a sign he’s tapped into something that is not going to end with his campaign.”

Both candidates were breaking from the New York campaign trail yesterday, but for very different reasons.

Clinton flew to California to headline a pair of fundraisers with Hollywood superstar George Clooney. One event last night, hosted by venture capitalist Shervin Pishevar, required a couple to raise or donate $353,400 to the Hillary Victory Fund to land two seats at the head table with Clinton, Clooney and his wife, Amal, according to Politico.

Another fundraiser set for tonight will take place at the Clooney mansion with tickets to dine at their table running $33,400 per person.

The Sanders campaign pounced on the sky-high ticket prices, releasing an ad to run in California over the weekend with supporters urging voters to donate $27 to bolster his campaign.

The California primary — featuring the largest jackpot of delegates, 548 — is June 7.

Meanwhile, Clinton surrogates continued to defend her refusal to release transcripts of her speeches to Goldman Sachs, arguing Sanders had yet to release a full slate of tax returns (although he did put out his 2014 filings late yesterday, showing his total income was $205,617.)

“I think she’s just trying to make a point that she is always held to a different standard than anyone else,” state Rep. Ruth Balser (D-Newton) told Boston Herald Radio. “I mean, here’s Senator Sanders who hasn’t released his income tax forms. I mean, this is outrageous! And he blames it on his wife. Give me a break. … Somehow, Bernie Sanders always gets away with things.”