US President Donald Trump has met with Pope Francis, one of his most high profile critics, at the Vatican and after an exchange of gifts promised not to forget the pontiff's message during their half-hour discussion.

Mr Trump and the Pope have expressed opposing views on issues such as immigration and climate change and the two men exchanged sharp words during the presidential campaign last year.

Under clear blue skies, Mr Trump received a tribute on Wednesday from the Swiss Guard in a Vatican courtyard where he was greeted by Archbishop Georg Ganswein, the prefect of the pontifical household.

Mr Trump looked uncomfortable as he entered a small elevator taking him to the third floor of the Apostolic Palace, where he was accompanied by Mr Ganswein and other officials along a frescoed corridor to the Pope's private study.

Following behind Mr Trump were his wife Melania, daughter Ivanka, her husband, Jared Kushner, a top White House aide, national security adviser HR McMaster and adviser Hope Hicks.

The Pope smiled faintly as he greeted Mr Trump outside the study.

Mr Trump, seeming subdued, said: "It is a great honour."

The two men then posed for photographs and the Pope kept a stern face while Mr Trump beamed for the cameras.

At the end of the private encounter the Pope, smiling and looking far more relaxed, gave the President a small sculptured olive tree symbolising peace.

Mr Trump thanked him and said, "We can use peace".

Speaking in Spanish through an interpreter, the Pope also gave Mr Trump a signed copy of the message he delivered at the last World Peace Day and three of his major writings including his 2015 encyclical on the need to protect the environment.

"Well, I'll be reading them," Mr Trump said.

He gave the Pope a boxed set of writings by Martin Luther King.

As Mr Trump left he told his host, "Thank you, I won't forget what you said".

Asked how the meeting with the Pope went, Mr Trump said: "Great. He is something. He is really good. We had a fantastic meeting."

A Vatican statement said the meeting was "cordial" and that the Vatican hoped there could be "serene collaboration" between the US Government and the American Catholic Church, including "assistance to immigrants".

Mr Trump's meeting with Pope Francis, his third stop on a nine-day foreign tour due to end on Saturday, was part of his world tour of religions after meeting leaders of Muslim nations in Saudi Arabia and visiting holy sites in Jerusalem.

While his talks in Saudi Arabia and Israel were mostly friendly, the meeting between the head of the Roman Catholic Church and the thrice-married, blunt-spoken Mr Trump had the potential to be a little more confrontational.

Sharp exchanges

The Pope said last year a man who thinks about building walls and not bridges is "not Christian," a sharp reprimand for Mr Trump's vow to build a wall along the US border with Mexico.

Mr Trump said it was "disgraceful" of the Argentine-born pope, who represents just over half of the world's two billion Christians, to question his faith.

"If and when the Vatican is attacked by ISIS, which as everyone knows is ISIS's ultimate trophy, I can promise you that the pope would have only wished and prayed that Donald Trump would have been president," Mr Trump said during the campaign.
Mr Trump's softer stance on environmental regulations also is at odds with Pope Francis' view that climate change is caused mostly by human activity.

The Vatican also took a dim view of Mr Trump's anti-Muslim campaign rhetoric, although Mr Trump softened his tone considerably in a major speech in Riyadh.

Pope Francis said last week he would be "sincere" with Mr Trump but did not want to judge him before listening to him in person.


http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-05-24/trump-meets-pope-in-vatican-vows-not-to-fo...

Big Donger wrote on May 25^th, 2017 at 10:52am:



Or indeed, did the Pope brush Trump's hand away?

We'd best ask Melania.

so much hate in this thread,

just dreadful 

BlueBeard wrote on May 25^th, 2017 at 11:47am:



Thanks for pointing it out to us, Blue Beard. We were oblivious.

Can you heal us?

Big Donger wrote on May 25^th, 2017 at 11:55am:


Well, i suppose we should call it diplomatic, what else to call it? But there is the whole North Korea thing.

Do you think Xi Jinping will hold Donald's hand?

Big Donger wrote on May 25^th, 2017 at 1:17pm:



Surely he won't  Jinping isn't a 13 year old girl.

Does he have a wife? Then Donald can grab her by the pussy.

Surely that will send the appropriate message to the Dalai Lama ... for being uppity and all.

mothra wrote on May 25^th, 2017 at 1:32pm:


Have you seen Mrs Ping? She doesn't look like the type to go for a 70 year old American playboy with orange hair and a spray-on tan.

Big Donger wrote on May 25^th, 2017 at 1:55pm:



Does it really matter if she goes for it or not?

Trump can do anything.