Trump vs. Pope Francis: a comparison in quotes

US President Donald Trump and Pope Francis, who are meeting for the first time on 24 May at the Vatican, have very different world views. Here are quotes that highlight those differences.

On each other:

Trump, February 2016: "The pope ... is questioning my faith, I was very surprised to see it, but I am a Christian, I am proud of it, OK? For a religious leader to question a person's faith is disgraceful."

Francis, May 2017, on meeting Trump: "In our talk things will come out, I will say what I think, he will say what he thinks, but I never, ever, wanted to make a judgement without hearing the person."

On walls and bridges:

Trump, June 2015: "I will build a great wall and nobody builds walls better than me, believe me and I'll build them very inexpensively. I will build a great, great wall on our southern border and I will make Mexico pay for that wall. Mark my words."

Francis, February 2016: "A person who thinks only of building walls, wherever they may be and not of building bridges, is not Christian. This is not in the Gospel ë...û If this man Trump says these things, he is not Christian."

On migration:

Trump, June 2015: "Mexicans in the US are bringing drugs, they're bringing crime. They're rapists and some, I assume, are good people, but I speak to border guards and they're telling us what we're getting."

Francis, April 2017: "It is true, we in Europe are a civilisation that has stopped making children, but we also close the door to migrants. This is called suicide."

On Muslims:

Trump, March 2016, to CNN: "I think Islam hates us."

Francis, July 2016: "I believe that it is not right to identify Islam with violence. It is not right and it is not true."

On armaments:

Trump, February 2017: "We will be substantially upgrading all of our military ... And hopefully, we'll never have to use it. But nobody is going to mess with us, folks. Nobody. It will be one of the greatest military buildups in American history."

Francis, April 2017: "An end must be put to the proliferation of arms; if they are produced and sold, sooner or later they will be used."

On nuclear war:

Trump, September 2016: "I will do everything in my power never to be in a position where we will have to use nuclear power. It's very important to me."

Francis, January 2017, to El Pais: "We already have a World War III in little bits and pieces. Lately there is talk of a possible nuclear war, as though it were a card game: they are playing cards. That is my biggest concern."

On money:

Trump, March 2011, to ABC: "Part of the beauty of me is that I am very rich."

Francis, March 2013: "Ah, how I would like a poor Church, for the poor."

On climate change:

Trump, November 2012, on Twitter: "The concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive."

Francis, June 2015, in Laudato Si encyclical: "Climate change ... represents one of the principal challenges facing humanity in our day."

On marriage:

Trump, June 2015, to CNN: "I have a good wife now. My (first) two wives were very good. And I don't blame them, but I was working 22 hours a day."

Francis, October 2016: "When the devil gets involved and places a man before a woman who looks more beautiful than his wife, or puts a woman before a man who seems better than her husband, seek immediate help. When this temptation comes, seek immediate help." (dpa)

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Pope Francis in the Middle East: Gestures laden with symbolism

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