VATICAN CITY, Jan 20: Pope Francis on Monday offered well-wishes to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump in a traditional message sent ahead of the presidential inauguration ceremony in Washington.
The pontiff, who has previously expressed sharp disagreement with Trump's anti-immigrant rhetoric, said he would pray that God grants Trump "wisdom, strength and protection" as he takes up the presidency again.
"It is my hope that under your leadership the American people will prosper and always strive to build a more just society, where there is no room for hatred, discrimination or exclusion," said the pope.
Francis, leader of the 1.4 billion-member Catholic Church since 2013, has used unusually forceful language in criticizing Trump in recent years.
The pope's congratulatory note comes a day after Francis said Trump's reported plan to sharply intensify immigration enforcement actions across the U.S. would be a "disgrace".
In an Italian television interview on Sunday, the pontiff said the plan would "make the migrants, who have nothing, pay the unpaid bill".
Incoming Trump administration officials said on Saturday that the president-elect was reconsidering plans for immigration raids in Chicago, following reports about the plans.
Meanwhile, Pope Francis urged incoming United States president Donald Trump on Monday to lead a society with "no room for hatred" and to promote "peace and reconciliation among peoples".
"It is my hope that under your leadership the American people will prosper and always strive to build a more just society, where there is no room for hatred, discrimination or exclusion," the head of the worldwide Catholic church added.
"At the same time, as our human family faces numerous challenges, not to mention the scourge of war, I also ask God to guide your efforts in promoting peace and reconciliation among peoples."
Francis had in an interview on Sunday condemned Trump's plans for large-scale deportations of undocumented migrants. "If it is true, it will be a calamity, because it makes the poor wretches who have nothing pay," the Argentine Jesuit told Italian television channel Nove. REUTERS, AFP
