Pope Francis says he won't try to convince U.S. President Donald Trump to soften his policies on immigration and the environment. Photo/AP
Pope Francis says he won't try to convince U.S. President Donald Trump to soften his policies on immigration and the environment. Photo/AP
Pope Francis says he won't try to convince U.S. President Donald Trump to soften his policies on immigration and the environment when they meet this month, but wants instead to find common ground and work for peace.
Francis said proselytizing isn't his style - in politics or religion.
Speaking to reporters while traveling home Saturday from a trip to Portugal, Francis said he would say what he thinks sincerely to Trump and listen respectfully to what Trump has to say, according to Daily Mail.
"Even if one thinks differently we have to be very sincere about what each one thinks.
"Topics will emerge in our conversations. I will say what I think and he will say what he thinks.
"But I have never wanted to make a judgment without first listening to the person."
Speculation has swirled about what Trump and Francis will discuss during their May 24 audience, given Francis has already said anyone who wants to build walls to keep out migrants is "not Christian."
Trump, who made building a wall along the border with Mexico a signature campaign promise, responded by saying it was "disgraceful" that the pope would question his faith.
Francis said he was willing to find common ground with Trump.
"There are always doors that are not closed. We need to find the doors that are at least partly open, go in, and talk about things we have in common and go forward, step by step," he said.
"Peace is artisanal. You do it every day."
Francis said he was willing to find common ground with Trump during their meeting on May 24. Photo/AP
Asked specifically if he would try to soften Trump's policies, Francis said: "That is a political calculation that I don't allow myself to make. Also in the religious sphere: I don't proselytize."
Trump, who grew up in a Presbyterian family, will visit the Vatican during a tour of the Middle East and Europe that will also include a meeting in Sicily of the leaders of the Group of Seven leading economies.
The pope is a head of state as well as being leader of the world's 1.2 billion Roman Catholics.
Such meetings allow for an exchange of views on world affairs and a chance for the pope to encourage ethical solutions to world problems.
About 21 percent of Americans, or 70 million people, are Catholic.
Washington has had full diplomatic relations with the Vatican since 1984, when President Ronald Reagan saw Pope John Paul, a Pole, as a crucial ally against communism.
