Pope hopes Trump’s US will have ‘no room for hatred’

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”.

In a message marking Trump’s inauguration, the 88-year-old pontiff offered the incoming president “cordial greetings and the assurance of my prayers that Almighty God will grant you wisdom, strength and protection”.

“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.

Trump has vowed to carry out “the largest deportation operation in American history,” but the move will face legal challenges and possible refusals by some nations to accept deportees.

Francis has criticised Trump for his anti-migrant policies in the past.

In February 2016, when asked about the then-US presidential hopeful’s anti-immigration stance, he said: “Anyone, whoever he is, who only wants to build walls and not bridges is not a Christian”.

And last year Francis made a rare foray into the US election season to call harsh anti-migrant attitudes “madness” and criticise right-wing US Catholic figures for overly conservative stances.