Trump tells Francis, ‘We can use peace’
Vatican meeting is cordial, in contrast to campaign clashes
President Trump promised Wednesday to take to heart the privately exchanged words with Pope Francis after the two met for the first time and put aside their clashing views.
“Thank you. Thank you. I won’t forget what you said,” Trump told Francis at the end of their 30-minute closed-door visit.
Before their meeting, Trump smiled broadly, while the pope appeared stern. But the pontiff emerged from their talk with a more upbeat look.
“Honor of a lifetime to meet His Holiness Pope Francis. I leave the Vatican more determined than ever to pursue PEACE in our world,” Trump tweeted.
In a meeting later with Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni, Trump said the pope “is something. We had a fantastic meeting.”
The Argentine-born Francis spoke in his native Spanish through an interpreter. The pope gave Trump a signed and bound copy of his remarks from the last World Peace Day in September, plus a set of English-language translations of his papal writings, including his 2015 encyclical on climate change. Trump is a noted climate change skeptic.
“Well, I’ll be reading them,” Trump said. “We can use peace.”
The cordial exchange came after the two men had exchanged verbal jabs during last year’s presidential campaign, with Francis saying Trump’s views were not those of a Christian. Trump responded that the pontiff ’s remarks were “disgraceful.”
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson later said Trump and the pope discussed terrorism and the radicalization of young people. He said climate change came up in Trump’s meeting with the Vati- can’s secretary of State, who encouraged the president to remain in the Paris climate agreement. Tillerson said Trump “hasn’t made a final decision” on the climate accord.
Trump’s gift to Francis was a boxed set of the writings of Martin Luther King Jr., for whom Francis has expressed admiration.
The pope also joked with first lady Melania Trump, who was born in Slovenia, by asking: “What do you give him (Trump) to eat, potica?” She repeated “potica,” which is a Slovenian baked treat.
The first lady later visted the pediatric wing of Bambino Gesu hospital and charmed the Italian media by playing with the children and speaking with them in Italian.
A U.S. flag was prominently hung from one of the Vatican buildings facing St. Peter’s Square in honor of Trump’s visit.
The Vatican, in a statement, expressed hope that the meeting of the two leaders would be the start of a “serene collaboration” with the Trump administration. It said Trump and Francis covered such topics as health care, education, migration, international affairs and interreligious dialogue.
Trump’s visit to Rome is his third stop on a nine-day trip after visiting Saudi Arabia and Israel, completing a tour of the spiritual homelands of the world’s three main religions.