• Trump: US mediators of a peace agreement between Israelis and Palestinians
  • Phone call between Trump and Putin: stopping the war in Syria, it lasted too long
  • Donald Trump says he is willing to meet the leader of North Korea, Kim Jong-un
  • Trump at the arms lobby: "You have a friend in the White House"

Share

04 May 2017 "The president of the United States, Donald Trump, will meet with Pope Francis and the Italian president, Sergio Mattarella, on his next trip to Rome, before the G7 summit in Taormina". The White House has announced, in a statement on the first trip abroad of the US president. "With the Pope, Trump will discuss cooperation between the United States and religious communities in areas of common interest - the statement continues - The president will also meet, in Rome, President Mattarella, who will then host the G7, to discuss multilateral cooperation and bilateral relations between the United States and Italy ".

The announcement was made by the US president himself: "Tolerance is the cornerstone of peace - he said - This is why I am proud to make a historic announcement this morning and share with you that my first trip abroad as president will be in Saudi Arabia, then in Israel and then in the Vatican in Rome ". Trump will therefore meet with Pope Francis, putting an end to the controversy that has been going on for weeks on the failure to meet the Pope who would have made Trump the first US president since the time of Franklin D. Roosevelt to make his first trip to Italy without meeting the Pope.

The Holy See also confirmed the news in a note: "The Holy Father Francis will receive HE Mr. Donald Trump, President of the United States of America, Wednesday, May 24, 2017, at 8.30 am in the Apostolic Palace. Subsequently, the President Trump will meet His Eminence Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State, accompanied by HE Msgr. Paul Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States.

The announcement of the visit was made on the occasion of the signing by the US president of an executive order on religious freedoms, intended to lighten the ban on the political activity of churches and other institutions that enjoy tax exemptions. The measure provides for an "easing of obligations" for organizations that object for religious reasons to the point of Obamacare that requires providing some health services, such as coverage for contraception. "We will not allow people of faith to be more targeted, bullied or silenced," said Trump according to CNN. The order, which declares that the administration "strongly protects and promotes religious freedom", does not contain provisions that allow government agencies and companies to deny services to homosexuals in the name of religious freedom, as many rights organizations feared.

But the first part of Donald Trump's journey will be devoted to visits to Saudi Arabia and Israel in late May. With the visit to Rome the US president will touch the holy places of the three monotheistic religions. At the center of talks in the Middle East, the fight against terrorism and peace between Israelis and Palestinians.

"President Trump - the Saudi announcement reads - has accepted the invitation of King Salman bin Abd Al-Aziz, Custodian of the two Holy Mosques, to visit the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at the end of the month. The visit will reaffirm the strong bilateral partnership and will allow questions of strategic concern to be discussed, including efforts to defeat terrorist groups and discredit radical ideologies ".

Trump also accepted the invitation to travel to Israel, "where - reads a White House note - will further strengthen the partnership between the two countries. Leaders will discuss a series of regional issues including the need to counter the threats posed from Iran and its allied groups, as well as the Islamic State and other terrorist groups, they will also discuss ways to bring about a lasting and sincere peace between Israelis and Palestinians ". In the same statement it is specified that Trump "will also meet the Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas with whom he will talk about ways to advance peace between Israelis and Palestinians, as well as efforts to unlock the
potential of the Palestinian economy ".