Melania Trump Meets Pope Francis At The Vatican City
The first lady has been in news for all the obvious reasons. U.S. President Trump and the FLOTUS Melania Trump have been hitting the news for visiting the holy town of Vatican City. They both met with the Pope during their visit to the Vatican City.
As per the reports, Melania Trump confessed to following Catholicism, and she is the second Catholic first lady after Mrs. Kennedy.
Contrary to her perceived timid image, Melania Trump made sure that she did not make any mistakes on her first international trip. She unquestioningly made sure that all the moves were right. The first lady selected every outfit with careful discretion making sure that she did not hurt any religious sentiments. Her meeting with Pope Francis, held on May 25, was no exception.
Keeping in mind the conventional Catholic protocols followed in the holy city, Melania Trump arrived dressed in a black dress made by Dolce and Gabbana. She ensured that the dress was full sleeves and draped her properly down till the calf. In addition to the dress, she covered herself with a black veil instead of a headscarf while meeting with the Pope.
The couple was accompanied by their stepdaughter, Ivanka Trump, who followed Melania’s sense of fashion and wore an identical outfit added with a larger veil.
“Per Vatican protocol, women who have an audience with the Pope are required to wear long sleeves, formal black clothing, and a veil to cover the head,” said Stephanie Grisham, the first lady’s communications director.
Following her meeting, Melania Trump faced criticism on two grounds. First, she had allegedly taken the idea from the previous FLOTUS Michelle Obama, as the previous first lady had been dressed in a similar way, when she met the Pope. The second criticism that she faced was for her showcasing dual standards. She received criticism for not covering her head while on a trip to the Islamic nation of Saudi Arabia. While there had been no special requirements for the same. But, media continues to criticize her for being biased.
After meeting each other, Melania Trump and the Pope shook hands and greeted each other. Melania Trump had been carrying her rosary beads in her hand, which she extended to Pope Francis. As a warm gesture, Pope Francis blessed the beads bending his holy cross. The entire series of events lasted less than five minutes. However, it was the blessings at the occasion that counted.
After the formal conversation, the mood turned a bit lighter as Melania Trump and Pope Francis shared some lighter moments while in conversation. Pope asked the First Lady about the diet she was keeping Donald Trump on. Jokingly he added, “if she had been feeding Mr. Trump with a lot of treats.”
After meeting the Pope, Melania Trump made time for some public engagements. She visited a local children hospital in Rome, where she shared some lighter moments with the kids. The White House Official stated Melania Trump played with the children and spent some time conversing with them in Italian.
She also prayed for a young boy, who had been facing difficulty with a heart ailment. As soon as she heard of the boy finding a donor, she congratulated the doctors and celebrated with the child.
While media has been judging her about her religious inclinations, Melania Trump has made a few public appearances, where she has boastfully talked about the importance of prayers and religion in one’s life.
All thanks to Melania’s right approach, the meeting was a successful one, where in the Vatican hoped that there would be a better sync between the government and the Catholic beliefs.
[Featured Image by Evan Vucci, Pool/AP Images]
