Pope Francis has stated that he will not seek to preach to US President Donald Trump on his immigration and environmental positions during their upcoming meeting in the Vatican and would rather hope to find a common ground with him.
“I have never judged anyone without listening to them first,” said the Argentine pontiff Saturday aboard the papal plane on his return from a trip to Portugal, adding that he hoped to hear “a message of peace for the world.”
“I think he will say what he thinks,” noted the pope, who is scheduled to meet Trump on May 24, mid-way through his first trip abroad as president after visiting Saudi Arabia and Israel and prior to taking part in a NATO summit in Brussels and a G-7 summit in Italy.
The pontiff’s remarks came amid speculations about what he and the hawkish US president will discuss considering his earlier declaration, insisting that anyone who wants to build walls to keep out migrants is “not Christian.”
The…