Vatican’s chief diplomat congratulates Trump, wishes him ‘great wisdom’

On Thursday, November 7, the top diplomat for the Roman Catholic Church congratulated US President-elect Donald Trump and wished him “great wisdom” as he prepares to return to the White House.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s Secretary of State, remarked, “We wish him great wisdom because, according to the Bible, this is the main virtue of rulers.”

On the fringes of an event in Rome, Parolin stated, “I think he has to put in the most effort to become president of the entire country, so he can overcome the polarisation … which has been felt very, very clearly in this time.”

The cardinal’s statements are the first time a Vatican official has publicly discussed Trump’s resounding victory. The head of the Catholic Church since March 2013, Pope Francis, has previously denounced Trump’s policies.

Trump’s promise to crack down on illegal immigration and deport millions of immigrants currently in the United States was deemed “against life” by the Pope in September. Francis claimed in 2016 that Trump’s stance on immigration was “not Christian.”