Laura Washington: What will the Pope say to Trump? Can he offer hope, perhaps a biblical passage or a sprig of wisdom that might set Trump straight?<\/b>
\nThere is much speculation about President Donald J. Trump\u2019s first international sojourn as president, a nine-day trip to the Middle East and Europe. On Wednesday, Trump will have his first face-to-face with Pope Francis.
That pairing is even more incongruous than last month\u2019s tete-a-tete between the Pope and former Fox TV star Bill O\u2019 Reilly.
On April 18, O\u2019 Reilly, on a family vacation, approached the pontiff in the VIP line at the Vatican, and they shook hands. That encounter came just hours before 21st Century Fox fired O\u2019 Reilly in the wake of a slew of sexual harassment allegations.
That leaves this lifelong Roman Catholic to wonder. What will the Pope say to Trump? Can he offer hope, perhaps a biblical passage or a sprig of wisdom that might set Trump straight?
Wednesday\u2019s reportedly private meeting will be between a man who possesses the world\u2019s highest moral authority and a man short on authority of all kinds, moral and otherwise.
Trump seems most comfortable in his Oval Office sanctum, regally receiving world leaders who come to humbly bow and scrape for a share of America\u2019s resources and might.
The Pope doesn\u2019 t need anything from Trump. He oversees the world\u2019s 1.2 billion Roman Catholics, a constituency that dwarfs Trump\u2019s. Polls show Francis is far more popular.
Yet, they have much to discuss. Francis has devoted his career to advocating for the poor, immigrants and refugees, people of color, war victims and others who personify the biblical credo of \u201cthe least among us.
Trump spent his career getting rich, then running a slash-and-burn presidential campaign that labeled Mexican immigrants \u201cbad hombres, \u201crapists\u201d and criminals. Trump says African Americans are \u201cliving in hell.\u201d Trump assumes all Muslims are terrorists.
Not even the Pope was spared
During the campaign, Francis told the media, \u201cA person who only thinks about building walls \u2014 wherever they may be \u2014 and not building bridges, is not Christian, \u201d apparently referring to Trump\u2019s promised, xenophobic wall on the U. S. Mexico border.
\u201cNo leader, especially a religious leader, should have the right to question another man\u2019s religion or faith, \u201d Trump shot back at a South Carolina rally. \u201cIf and when the Vatican is attacked by ISIS, which as everyone knows is ISIS\u2019 ultimate trophy, I can promise you that the pope would have only wished and prayed that Donald Trump would have been president.\u201d
There are plenty of potential flashpoints for this conversation, from their differences on the treatment of immigrants and refugees to religious tolerance to capital punishment.
Fireworks? That seems unlikely, since, like all such diplomatic meetings, it will be heavily prepped and scripted.
Francis has offered a preview, recently telling reporters he would \u201clook for common ground\u201d at the meeting, according to NBC News.
First of all, I never judge someone before I listen to the person. I can\u2019 t do that, \u201d Francis said during a news conference on the papal plane. \u201cWe will talk and things will come up\u2026 I will tell him what I think, he will tell me what he thinks, but I never wanted to judge someone before I listen to the person first.\u201d
Talk and listen, before you judge.
If Trump simply took that holy advice to heart, he could make exponential strides as a president \u2014 and as a person.
If only. Well, we can always pray.<\/p>\n

\n

Similarity rank: 15.6<\/div>\n

Sentiment rank: 0.6<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

TW posts: 1<\/div>\n

TW reposts: 0<\/div>\n

TW likes: 0<\/div>\n<\/div>\n