Pope Francis warmly welcomes President Trump
US President Donald Trump is meeting with Pope Francis at the Vatican - the latest event in his cross-continental tour.
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| Pope Francis (right) warmly welcomed the US leader and First Lady Melania. Photo: Reuters |
According to BBC, President Trump arrived at the Vatican just before 7:30 a.m. (local time) for a meeting with Pope Francis.
The meeting at the Vatican attracted attention because before this time, Mr. Trump and Pope Francis had some conflicts of views related to issues such as immigration and climate change.
During his previous visit to the Mexico-US border area, Pope Francis declared: "Those who only think about building walls instead of bridges are not Catholics."
Mr. Trump was still campaigning at that time.
However, according to BBC analyst Jon Sopel, Mr Trump's commitment to fighting extremism and bringing peace to the Middle East will receive support from the Pope.
And there may be another reason. In 2013, Mr. Trump tweeted: “The new Pope is a humble man, very much like me (!).”
After meeting the Pope, President Trump will hold talks with Italian President Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni before flying to Brussels to attend a NATO conference.
Security is currently tight in Rome, especially in areas around the Vatican, the Italian presidential palace and the US embassy in Italy.
Despite a heavy police presence, about 100 people showed up in a square in Rome to protest the US leader. It is likely that a similar welcome will be given to Mr Trump in Brussels.
Mr. Trump will end his trip in Sicily (Italy) to attend the G7 Summit on May 26.
During the meeting, Pope Francis and the US leader shook hands warmly and had a direct conversation.
The two sides also exchanged souvenirs.
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| Pope Francis (right) and President Donald Trump shake hands. Photo: Reuters |
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| Pope Francis (right) and President Donald Trump exchange souvenirs. Photo: Reuters |
According to Tuoi Tre
