‘We can use peace’ Trump tells Pope during meeting at Vatican
● Differences set aside as president and pontiff hold private talks
US president Donald Trump and Pope Francis, two leaders with contrasting styles and differing worldviews, met at the Vatican City yesterday, setting aside their previous clashes to broadcast a tone of peace for an audience around the globe.
Mr Trump, mid-way through his nine-day maiden international tour, called on the pontiff at the Vatican, where the two had a private 30-minute meeting.
The president, accompanied by his wife and several aides, arrived at the Vatican just after 8am local time.
The president greeted Francis in Sala del Tronetto, the room of the little throne, on the second floor of Apostolic Palace. On completing their meeting, the Pope gave the president a medal featuring an olive branch, a symbol of peace, among other gifts.
“We can use peace,” the president responded.
The visit began with a handshake between the two men.
They posed for photographs and then sat down at the papal desk, the Pope unsmiling, as their private meeting began. It ended a half hour later when Francis rang the bell in his private study.
The pontiff was then introduced to members of Mr Trump’s delegation, including his wife Melania, his daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner, as well as aides Hope Hicks and Dan Scavino.
Pope Francis had a light moment with the First Lady, asking via a translator what she gave her husband to eat. It was initially thought he had suggested “pizza” to her, but in fact he said “potica”, which is a cake from Mrs Trump’s home country of Slovenia. She laughed in response.
As is traditional, the Pope and president exchanged gifts. Mr Trump presented the pontiff with some books written by Martin Luther King Jr, saying: “I think you’ll enjoy them. I hope you do.”
The Pope presented Mr Trump with the medal, a message of peace and three bound papal documents that to some degree define his papacy and priorities.
When Mr Trump departed, he told the Pope: “Thank you, I won’t forget what you said.”
Mr Trump’s predecessor, Barack Obama, had a private audience with Pope Francis at the Vatican in 2014 that lasted 50 minutes.
But the timing yesterday was tight as Francis had his weekly Wednesday general audience, the thousands of pilgrims on hand forcing Mr Trump’s motorcade to enter Vatican City from a side entrance rather than through St Peter’s Square.
The two collided head-on last year, when the Pope was sharply critical of Mr Trump’s campaign pledge to build an impenetrable wall on the mexican border and his declaration that the US should turn away Muslim immigrants and refugees.