Trump meets pope (2)

(ANSA) - Rome, May 24 - United States President Donald Trump met Pope Francis inside the Vatican on Wednesday.
    The encounter, which took place in the library of the papal apartment, lasted about half an hour.
    "It is a great honour to be here," Trump said as he was received by Pope Francis.
    After the talks, the president's delegation was let in and there was the exchange of gifts.
    "I will never forget what you said to me" Trump said as he shook hands with Pope Francis and said goodbye.
    The Vatican on Wednesday released a statement about the talks Trump had with Francis and, afterwards, with Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin. It said the discussions "enabled an exchange of views on various themes relating to international affairs and the promotion of peace in the world through political negotiation and interreligious dialogue, with particular reference to the situation in the Middle East and the protection of Christian communities".
    In the gift exchange, the pope gave Trump a medal with an olive branch as a symbol of peace, as well as copies of his three main teaching documents.
    "We can use peace," Trump said.
    The books included one on "care of our common home: the environment".
    The president gave the pope a first-edition set of writings by Martin Luther King Jr. and a bronze sculpture titled "Rising Above" that the White House said "represents hope for a peaceful tomorrow." Trump's delegation included his wife Melania and his oldest daughter Ivanka, her husband Jared Kushner, as well as former bodyguard Keith Schiller and social media director Dan Scavino.