The FINANCIAL — U.S. President Donald Trump and Pope Francis have held their first meeting at the Vatican.
The pope received Trump for an extended audience that lasted about 30 minutes.
After the private audience with the pontiff, Trump, his wife Melania, and other family members — as well as U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and national security adviser H.R. McMaster — gathered for a photo opportunity.
Trump is to hold talks in Rome with Italian President Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni.
Trump flew in to Italy on May 23 from Israel and the West Bank, where he called on Israelis and Palestinians to reach a compromise for peace.
In the West Bank, he said that if Israel and the Palestinians can forge an agreement it could “begin a process of peace all throughout the Middle East.”
Trump’s first trip abroad as president began with a two-day visit to Saudi Arabia, where he attended a summit with leaders of predominantly Muslim countries on May 21.
Earlier in Saudi Arabia, he attended a summit with leaders of predominantly Muslim countries.
The meeting with the Pope Francis concludes Trump’s tour of the ancestral homes of the world’s three largest monotheistic religions.
The U.S. president is to attend a NATO meeting in Brussels on May 25 and a G7 summit that is being held in Sicily on May 26-27.
Based on reporting by Reuters and AFP