The meeting
comes as Trump completes his religious world trip, having already made stops in
Saudi Arabia and Israel before heading to the Vatican for a March 24 meeting
with Pope Francis.
While
Francis and Trump have been heralded as opposites — in policy and mannerisms —
they both have eschewed the traditions of the offices they respectively
hold. Here’s a look at some of the more memorable occasions during Francis'
papacy.
March 13,
2013
At 76, Jorge
Mario Bergoglio was elected, changing his name to Pope Francis the following
day. Francis is the first Jesuit to become pope.
Sept. 24,
2015
As the first
pontiff to address Congress, Francis stressed the importance of the “Golden
Rule” in terms of immigration and refugees.
“We must not
be taken aback by their numbers, but rather view them as persons, seeing their
faces and listening to their stories, trying to respond as best we can to their
situation,” Francis said, urging a response to refugees that is “humane, just
and fraternal.”
Francis also
called for the abolition of the death penalty and said Congress has a “role to
play” when it comes to climate change.
Feb. 18,
2016
Francis
escalated tensions between himself and Trump — who at the time was still just a
presidential candidate.
In response
to a question about Trump’s promise to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico
border to curtail the flood of illegal immigration, Francis insinuated that
anyone “who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not
building bridges is not Christian.”
Francis
declined to definitively say that Trump is not a Christian as he had not heard
his plans for the border specifically.
“I’d just
say that this man is not Christian if he said it that way,” Francis
said.
Trump fired back and called the pope's comments
“disgraceful.” The Vatican later said that Pope Francis' remarks weren't
"a personal attack."
April 16,
2016
Francis took
three families back to Rome with him following a visit to a refugee camp in
Lesbos, Greece.
The families
were Muslim, according to Reuters.
Nov. 21,
2016
Francis officially
allowed priests to absolve the “grave sin” of abortion — including for
doctors and nurses as well as women.
“There is no
sin that God’s mercy cannot reach and wipe away when it finds a repentant heart
seeking to be reconciled,” Francis said in a 10-page Apostolic Letter.
“I wish to
restate as firmly as I can that abortion is a grave sin, since it puts an end
to an innocent life,” the pope said.
April 4,
2017
In a letter
relayed by Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich, Francis expressed his prayers for the
people in Chicago who have been made victims by the excessive violence in the
city.
Francis reportedly said
in the letter that he prays the victims “may experience healing and
reconciliation.”
April 28,
2017
In a
historic push for unity among Christians and Muslims, Francis traveled
to Egypt to meet with the country’s political and religious leaders.
Francis’
trip came just weeks after a pair of suicide bomb attacks at Egyptian Coptic
churches claimed the lives of at least 45 people. It was the first papal visit
to Cairo in 20 years.
The trip
served to bring a message of peace to Egypt, according to Cardinal Pietro
Parolin, the Vatican secretary of state.
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