Pope Francis discusses terrorism and climate change, urges Trump to be a peacemaker,

May 24, 2017

Itunuoluwa

The Pope urged President Trump to be a peacemaker during the Holy See meeting, Wednesday, and Trump promised he would not forget Pope Francis message.

Trump received a tribute from the Swiss Guard in a Vatican courtyard when he arrived. From the courtyard, he entered an elevator that took him to the third floor of the Apostolic Palace . The Pope shook his hand with a faint smile outside the private study which the Pope uses only on official occassions.

Before the elevator closed on Trump, a Vatican protocol official was heard telling the president that it was not “like Trump Tower in New York”. President Trump, seeming subdued, said “it is a great honor”. The discussion between Trump and the Pope was not made public and both men did not reveal anything either, but according to according to CNN, the White House and Vatican agenda highlights climate change, terrorism, and peace as some of the topics discussed.

“Thank you. I won’t forget what you said,” Trump told Pope Francis, before leaving the Pope’s private study after a half-hour private meeting, CNN reports.

Rex Tillerson, US Secretary of State also briefed the reporters on the Air Force One after the meeting, and said the topics of climate change and terrorism were discussed. He said the Vatican’s secretary of state raised climate change and encouraged Trump to remain in the Paris agreement. Tillerson said the President “hasn’t made a final decision,” and likely will not until “after we get home.”

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According to CNN, the Vatican said in a statement that the on the two men discussed only “the promotion of peace in the world through political negotiation and interreligious dialogue” and honed in on the need to protect Christians in the Middle East.

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