So Far, Trump Will Not Meet with Pope Francis, Bucking Tradition
- By Elisa Meyer --
- 13 Apr 2017 --
Trump won’t meet with Pope Francis while in Italy for the Group of Seven summit.
In a drastic departure from tradition, President Donald Trump may not be visiting the Pope during his trip to Italy.[/tweetit] It had been a tradition for American presidents to visit the Catholic Pontiff post elections, whenever they visit Italy. Sources, however, revealed the current president’s plan does not include a visit to the Vatican.
So Far, Trump Will Not Meet with Pope Francis, Bucking Tradition[/tweetthis]
Speculations are being made the reason behind this could be the lack of common ground on issues between the sovereign of the Vatican and the president of America. The two leaders have opposing views on many matters, ranging from refugees to the environment. Trump’s backing by evangelical Americans could be another reason for his indifference towards meeting the Pope. Evangelical churches are opposed to the form of Christianity that Catholics follow. Although in the past religious differences have not prevented presidents from visiting the Pope, religion was a key factor in the American elections this time and may have changed things a little. The majority of Catholics, however, voted for Trump.
The news was confirmed by a top diplomat, who said the president’s plans are not likely to change, especially now that the trip is scheduled to begin in just six weeks. The Vatican too has confirmed no request for an audience with the pope has been sought by the White House yet. Trump will be visiting Italy for the Group of Seven Summit meeting at Sicily.
No Trump-Pope Francis meeting planned during trip to Italy: report | TheHill https://t.co/H4ZjBzRYZ7
— phyllis young murray (@cybrarian75x) April 13, 2017
The Pope and Trump have not gotten along very well. Francis even went to the extent of calling Trump “unchristian” because of his plans to build a wall between Mexico and U.S.A. Trump retorted by calling the pope’s comments “disgraceful” and condemned him for questioning his Christian faith.
The pope and Trump have had differing opinions on other matters as well. While Trump won for his hard stance on immigrants and Muslims, the Pope has been instrumental in providing asylum to refugees and has constantly condemned Islamophobia. The pope has a reputation for being concerned about the environment and has even called it a sin to destroy the environment. Trump, on the other hand, recently signed an executive order that nullified an Obama-era policy on environmental protection.
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