Pope offers prayers for Trump as he is sworn in as US president

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 shaped 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.”