By
VATICAN
CITY (CNS) — Pope Francis sent best wishes and prayers to incoming President
Donald J. Trump shortly after he took the oath of office.
“I
offer you my cordial good wishes and the assurance of my prayers that almighty
God will grant you wisdom and strength in the exercise of your high
office,” the pope’s message said.
Saying
that the human family faces “grave humanitarian crises” that demand
“far-sighted and united political responses,” the pope said he would
pray that Trump’s decisions “will be guided by the rich spiritual and
ethical values that have the history of the American people and your nation’s
commitment to the advancement of human dignity and freedom worldwide.”
The
pope also said he hoped that America’s “stature” continued to be
measured by “above all its concern for the poor, the outcast and those in
need who, like Lazarus, stand before our door.”
The
message concluded with the pope saying he would ask God to grant the new
president, his family and all Americans “peace, concord and every material
and spiritual prosperity.
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