Pope hands Trump copies of his writings as gift after Vatican visit

VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis welcomed US President Donald Trump to the cradle of Roman Catholicism yesterday.

They met in the pope’s private study for nearly half an hour, joined only by an interpreter, with the pontiff, in his white papal dress and adorned with a pectoral cross on a chain around his neck, sitting behind a small desk. Trump was in a dark suit and blue striped tie.

After some initial awkwardness, Trump looked slightly uneasy as he was kept waiting for a few seconds in the Saint Ambrose room before shaking hands with Francis, who was stone faced at first, the atmosphere soon warmed.

The pair appeared to set aside their differences during last year’s campaign, with Trump appearing presidential and deferential, while the pope, often smiling slightly, seemed to be visually appraising him.

Once Francis rang a bell signalling that the one-on-one discussion had concluded, the pair exchanged official gifts, with the pope presenting Trump a medal by a Roman artist in the shape of an olive tree, the symbol of peace. “We can use peace,” Trump said. Francis also offered copies of his writings on the topics of family, the joy of the gospel and “care of our common home, the environment”.

“Well, I’ll be reading them,” Trump said, effusive in his gratitude and saying “thank you very much” multiple times.

Trump’s visit to the Vatican capped his quest this week to bridge divides among followers of three of the world’s religions.

On his maiden foreign trip as president, Trump addressed a summit of Muslim leaders in Saudi Arabia and met with Israeli and Palestinian leaders in Jerusalem and Bethlehem. – Washington Post