During his twelve years in office, Pope Francis had the opportunity to greet some of the most influential leaders in the world. A number of famous people have also visited his establishment and met him at public gatherings all across the world. It was just recently reported that two of them, Donald and Melania Trump, will be present at his funeral. The President of the United States and First Lady of the United States met Pope Francis in the Vatican during their first term in office at the White House.
In spite of this, there was a degree of confusion during their encounter. According to reports, Francis made an attempt to communicate with Melania in Italian, who asserted that she was able to speak the language. But can she truly do that? As of right now, one expert asserts that she is unable to do so, and that as a consequence, the meeting with Pope Francis has been slowed down.
The passing of Pope Francis is something that readers will undoubtedly be aware of. In his final public appearance, which took place on Easter Sunday in St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican, the 88-year-old man, who was born in Buenos Aires, was celebrated. The news of his passing was confirmed on Monday, April 21.
Cardinal Kevin Farrell made the announcement on the television channel of the Vatican, saying, “Dear brothers and sisters, it is with profound sadness that I must announce the announcement of the death of our Holy Father Francis.” This morning, at 7:35, the head of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Francis, made his way back to the house of the Father.
In the years leading up to his death, Pope Francis struggled with a variety of health problems. In addition to having only one lung that was completely full, he had to endure two rounds of intestinal surgery. It was only a week ago that he was discharged from the hospital, having spent the previous 38 days there for treatment of a respiratory illness that was potentially fatal.
Dr. Andrea Arcangeli, Director of the Directorate of Health and Hygiene of the Vatican City State, made the announcement on Monday night, as reported by the Holy See Press Office. She revealed that the cause of death of Pope Francis had been determined to be a stroke, which was followed by a coma and an irreversible cardiocirculatory collapse. The results of the electrocardiographic thanatography test revealed that he had passed away.
The death of Pope Francis aged 88
According to Vatican News, Dr. Arcangeli made the following statement: “I hereby declare that the causes of death, to the best of my knowledge and judgment, are as stated above.”
Pope Francis traveled extensively over the world during his twelve years as Pope. He traveled to 68 countries and met with numerous national leaders, including the presidents of the United States. When he first met with a president of the United States, it was Barack Obama in the year 2014.
The meeting between Pope Francis and President Obama took place in Rome while Obama was in the middle of his second term as president. Their gathering was seen as a success, despite the fact that they held divergent opinions on a variety of topics.
President Obama stated that he did not encounter any disagreements during his discussion with Pope Francis. “The responsibilities that we all share to care for the least of these — the poor, the excluded,” president Obama remarked, was one of the topics that was discussed during the event. Other topics included human rights and religious freedom.
Obama continued, “I was extremely moved by his insights about the importance of us all having a moral perspective on world problems and not simply thinking in terms of our own narrow self-interests.” He said, “It is imperative that we all have a moral perspective on it.”
Obama extended an invitation to the Pope to pay him a visit at the White House, and he did so in the year 2015. During the tour to the United States, Pope Francis made history by being the first pontiff to ever address a joint session of Congress. This occurred prior to the pope’s meeting with Fidel Castro in Cuba, which took place previously. Tens of thousands of people had gathered on the West Lawn of the Capitol at the time in order to see the address that was being broadcasting on screens.
Meetings between Pope Francis and Presidents of the United States
Not only would I like to address you today, but I would also like to address the entire population of the United States of America through you. “Here, along with their representatives, I would like to take this opportunity to dialogue with the many thousands of men and women who strive each day to do an honest day’s work, to bring home their daily bread, to save money, and – one step at a time – to build a better life for their families,” Pope Francis said in his speech to Congress. “I would like to take this opportunity to speak with them.”
This group of people is comprised of men and women who are not only concerned with paying their taxes, but who also contribute to the maintenance of society in their own unassuming way. They develop groups that provide assistance to those who are in the greatest need of assistance, and they generate solidarity via the activities that they take.
Additionally, Francis made a quick appearance on the balcony of the speaker after he had finished his address
All of you have a wonderful day. I am grateful to you for your warm welcome and for being here today. I would also like to express my gratitude to the youngsters who are present today. I would like to invoke God’s favor onto them. May the Lord, the Father of all of us, bless his people, bless each individual among them, bless their families, and grant them what they require the most. My request is that you pray for me, and if there are some of you who do not believe in prayer or are unable to pray, I would appreciate it if you would kindly wish me well. I am grateful to you. It is very much appreciated. “And may God bless the United States of America!” he said.
A meeting between Pope Francis and Joe Biden, a prominent Catholic who was serving as vice president at the time but would later become President of the United States, took place on the same day by Pope Francis. Prior to his passing, Francis was scheduled to see one more president, Donald Trump, as well as Melania Trump, the president’s wife. Even though it would not come as a surprise, it was reported that Trump had a very poor impression of Francis. Trump questioned the pope and his activities just a few days after he was elected in 2013, when he was elected.
“I don’t like seeing the Pope standing at the checkout counter (front desk) of a hotel in order to pay his bill,” Trump said on X, which was then Twitter, at the time, according to CNN. Melania Trump and Pope Francis had a meeting that was described as “awkward.” “It’s really not Pope-like!”
In the meanwhile, in 2015, when Trump was the leading candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, he stated Pope Francis appeared to be “a pretty good guy.” However, he countered this statement by arguing that Francis was too political.
Just a few short months later, President Trump stated that Pope Francis did not comprehend the issue of illegal immigration that the United States is currently facing. In response, Pope Francis stated that President Trump was not “a Christian” because he advocated for the deportation of immigrants and the construction of his famed wall along the border with Mexico.
A person who is just concerned with constructing walls, regardless of where they may be located, and does not consider the construction of bridges is not a Christian, he told the media. This does not constitute the gospel.
The response from Trump? That Francis’ viewpoint was “disgraceful” was the statement
In spite of the fact that they hold divergent opinions on a wide range of issues, Pope Francis and President Trump were able to meet in 2017, during the visit that Donald and Melania Trump made to the Vatican. On the other hand, the meeting started off with a lot of misunderstanding, which included an embarrassing moment between Melania Trump and Pope Francis.
With the fact that the First Lady hails from Slovenia, it should come as no surprise that she is fluent in the Slovenian language. Additionally, Melania is fluent in English; but, she has admitted in the past that she is also fluent in a number of other languages simultaneously. Melania disclosed to Mika Brzezinski of MSNBC that she was fluent in Slovenian, English, Italian, French, and German during the first presidential campaign of Donald Trump.
She gave him a look but did not utter a single word
It is interesting to note that she has never been heard speaking Italian, French, or German in public when she has met officials from the respective nations, with the exception of common phrases such as “Bonjour” or “Ciao.” When she meets with Pope Francis, the First Lady always has translators by her side. This wasn’t different from the situation when she visited with Pope Francis.
The First Lady has asserted that she is able to communicate fluently in Italian, despite the fact that a translator was present at her meeting with Pope Francis in 2017. The Pope inquired as to whether or not Melania had served her husband a traditional Slovenian cake known as potica.
Almost immediately, it became clear that Melania did not comprehend the situation. She then switched her attention to the interpreter, who proceeded to explain his inquiry. The response that Melania gave was, “Potica, yes.”
Without a doubt, the meeting was successful… did it happen?
Mary Jordan, a journalist for the Washington Post and novelist, published an unofficial book about Melania and titled it The Art of Her Deal in the year 2020. In this biography, she disclosed additional information about the encounter. Jordan stated that prior to their meeting, the pope had been informed that Melania was able to communicate in Italian.
Upon receiving the hand of Pope Francis, Melania expressed her gratitude by saying, “Thank you.” According to Jordan, the phrase “nice to meet you” was spoken in English. It was, however, in Italian that the pope responded.
According to what Jordan stated in The Art of Her Deal, “She looked at him and neither of them spoke.”
Melania Trump responded once more in English when being presented with a rosary by a Vatican assistant for the purpose of being blessed by the Pope. “Oh, I would love it.” I am grateful to you. Her response was “Grazie.”
Did Melania Trump make a false statement about her ability to speak Italian?
In spite of the fact that Melania responded in English, she was capable of understanding at least some Italian terms. When the pope inquired about their next destination, the First Lady responded, “I’m going to visit a hospital, specifically for infants and young children.” Many, many thanks to you.
There is a possibility, as suggested by Mary Jordan in her book, that Melania Trump was simply too enamored with the pope to attempt her Italian. Alternatively, it might have been that Melania Trump did not want to be impolite by excluding her stepdaughter Ivanka Trump, who does not speak Italian. Nevertheless, the author thinks that “exaggerating if it builds the brand and polishes the image” could have been a compelling tale for Melania to tell.
The fact that she is able to communicate in five different languages would put her in the same category as Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, who was the wife of President John F. Kennedy. During their journey to the Vatican in 1962, she was able to hold a conversation in French with Pope John XXIII that lasted for more than thirty minutes. She was highly proficient in a number of languages.
In films, Melania Trump has only been heard saying “bonjour” and “ciao” when she has met European politicians or youngsters in Europe. She has never had any other encounters in Europe. Therefore, is it true that Melania is able to speak all of the languages that she claims to be able to speak?
According to what Mary Jordan wrote in The Art of Her Deal, “I was unable to locate any videos that demonstrated her fluency in any language other than Slovenian and English.” I inquired with the White House about whether or not they could provide any evidence, but they did not provide a response.
