POPE FRANCIS -- POPE FRANCIS IS SEEMINGLY FAR MORE PROGRESSIVE
THAN OTHER POPES, CERTAINLY IN MY LIFETIME, AND HE HAS
CRITICIZED DONALD TRUMP'S POLICIES BEFORE, SAYING THAT A
TRUE CHRISTIAN WOULD BUILD BRIDGES, NOT WALLS, AND DONALD
TRUMP CALLED HIM DISGRACEFUL AND ALL THAT.
BUT NOW THEY MET, AND
TRUMP, GOOD ON HIM, STARTED WITH TELLING THE POPE IS A GREAT
HONOR TO MEET YOU.
WONDERFUL.
THE POPE AVOIDED SMALL TALK AND
THEY HAD A MEETING THAT LASTED 30 MINUTES, PARTLY IT WENT WELL,
AND THE POPE GAVE HIM A GIFT, A SCULPTURE OF AN OLIVE TREE, AND
HE TOLD TRUMP --
>>I LOVE THAT, OBVIOUSLY HE'S TRYING TO SEND A MESSAGE -- WITH
TRUMP YOU REALLY HAVE TO BEAT HIM OVER THE HEAD WITH IT
BECAUSE HE WILL MISS IT, HE'S NOT THAT BRIGHT.
HE'S LIKE,
REMEMBER, ALL OF BRANCH, THIS IS ABOUT PEACE.
AND TRUMP SAYS --
>>EVEN THE CONSTRUCTION OF THAT SENTENCE IS FUNNY.
LIKE, NOT
THAT PEACE IS GREAT -- WE CAN USE IT.
IT'S WONDERFUL, EVERY
ONCE IN A WHILE I WILL USE PEACE.
BUT I'LL TAKE IT, I
GUESS.
AND THEN POPE FRANCIS GAVE HIM MORE STUFF --
>>TRUMP SAID --
>>NO YOU WON'T. EVERYBODY KNOWS YOU ARE NOT GOING TO READ THOSE.
FIRST OF ALL THE TOPIC MATTER, BUT SECOND OF ALL THEY ARE
LONGER THAN A PAGE.
THERE IS NO WAY TRUMP WILL READ THEM.
IF YOU
GUYS DON'T KNOW, THE SECURITY BRIEFINGS USED TO BE FAIRLY LONG
ON DIFFERENT COUNTRIES AND DIFFERENT CONFLICTS THROUGHOUT
THE WORLD, THIS IS COMPLICATED STUFF -- NOBODY KNEW IT WAS
COMPLICATED.
FIRST THEY BOILED IT DOWN TO FOUR PAGES FOR TRUMP,
BUT IT WAS TOO MUCH, NOW THEY GIVE HIM EVERYTHING IN ONE PAGE
MEMOS.
AND HE LIKES GRAPHS AND MAPS.
HOW MUCH CAN YOU FIT ON A
PAGE?
YOU THINK HE'S GOING TO READ THE POPE'S TREATISE ON
CLIMATE CHANGE?
WELL, I'LL READ THEM.
I COULD USE PEACE.
AT THE
END, HEY DONALD, HOW DID IT GO?
HE SAID, QUOTE --
>>I'M GLAD IT WENT WELL, I GUESS, BUT THE REALITY OF THE
MATTER IS THAT DONALD TRUMP ISN'T GOING TO READ IT, IS NOT
GOING TO PAY ANY MIND TO IT, HE'S SHREDDING THE ENVIRONMENTAL
PROTECTION AGENCY AS WE SPEAK, HE CUT ITS BUDGET DRAMATICALLY,
HE'S THREATENING TO PULL OUT OF ALL CLIMATE CHANGE ACCORDS
THROUGHOUT THE WORLD, HE HAS PUT IN FOSSIL FUEL INDUSTRY
LOBBYISTS, DE FACTO LOBBYISTS, AS THE HEADS OF ALL OF OUR
ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATION, IT'S A DISASTER, AND ON PEACE, HE'S
BOMBING ALL OVER SYRIA, NOT ONLY ASSAD'S GOVERNMENT BUT OTHER
TARGETS AS WELL, WE'VE KILLED HUNDREDS OF CIVILIANS, LET ALONE
THE RATE IN YEMEN THAT KILLED MEN, WOMEN, CHILDREN, INCLUDING
AN EIGHT-YEAR-OLD GIRL -- HE HAS NO INTENTION OF DOING PEACE.
AND
AFTER THE TERRORIST BOMBINGS, WHICH I HEARD UNDER TRUMP
WOULDN'T HAPPEN, NOW ALL THE RIGHT-WINGERS ARE OUT THERE
TRYING TO BLAME EVERYONE ELSE -- TRUMP SAID HE WOULD TAKE CARE OF
IT IN ONE MONTH AFTER HE WAS ELECTED, AND HE SAID IF HE JUST
SAID THE MAGIC WORDS RADICAL ISLAMIC TERRORISM IT WOULD ALL
GO AWAY -- WELL, TRUMPLETHINSKIN, THE MAGIC WORDS
AND WORK.
WE STILL HAD MANCHESTER.
WHAT I SAID
YESTERDAY, AND I'M GLAD TO SEE THE POPE BACKING ME UP --
PROBABLY NOT THE ORDER OF THINGS IN THE REAL WORLD, BUT ANYWAY --
SUPER HAPPY TO HAVE A POPE ON OUR SIDE AND FOR PEACE, WHICH BY
THE WAY THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO BE. AND TO BE FAIR TO THE OTHER
POPES, THEY WERE AGAINST THE IRAQ WAR AS WELL.
THEY ARE FOR
PEACE, THEY ARE ACTUALLY TRULY PRO-LIFE, THEY ARE ALSO AGAINST
THE DEATH PENALTY.
THE POPE SAID, YOU KNOW WHAT?
MAYBE GIVE
PEACE A CHANCE.
BECAUSE YOU KNOW WHAT WE'VE BEEN DOING NOW?
WE
HAVE BEEN BOMBING THE MIDDLE EAST FOR DECADES.
AND DID IT
MAKE THE BOMBINGS HERE AND ALL OVER THE WESTERN WORLD STOP?
NO,
THEY HAVE NOT STOPPED.
IF ANYTHING THEY MIGHT HAVE
INTENSIFIED.
SO WAR IS NOT ONLY IMMORAL, AND THAT'S THE POPE
SAYING THAT, HE'S A PRETTY GOOD AUTHORITY ON THAT -- IF YOU ARE
A CHRISTIAN, ESPECIALLY A CATHOLIC, THAT'S THE POPE
TALKING, DO YOU BELIEVE THE POPE OR DON'T YOU?
WE KNOW THE WAR
HASN'T WORKED, HE THINKS IT'S IMMORAL, BUT ON TOP OF THAT IT'S
COUNTERPRODUCTIVE.
SO MAYBE TRY THE THING THAT ACTUALLY WORKS.
WHEREVER YOU HAD PEACE DEALS, YOU NO LONGER HAVE VIOLENCE.
EGYPT AND ISRAEL.
WHAT STOPS THE BOMBINGS IN THE U.K. IN THE
FIRST PLACE?
THE PEACE DEAL BETWEEN THE IRA AND THE BRITISH
GOVERNMENT.
YOU KNOW WHAT ACTUALLY BRINGS YOU PEACE?
I
KNOW IT'S SHOCKING -- PEACE.
INSTEAD TRUMP SAYS WE WILL
DOUBLE DOWN AND BOMB MORE IN THE MIDDLE EAST.
GUESS WHAT'S WHAT
HAPPENED?
THERE ARE NO MAGIC WORDS, YOU WILL HAVE MORE
BOMBINGS HERE IN THE WEST.
THE POPE IS RIGHT, AND UNFORTUNATELY
DONALD TRUMP WON'T BE READING A WORD OF ANYTHING THE POPE WROTE
ON THIS ISSUE.
I WISH HE WOULD, I WISH THAT MEETING WAS
CONSTRUCTIVE AND GOT THROUGH HIS THICK SKULL, BUT VERY LIKELY IT
WILL NOT HAVE HELPED AT ALL, AND ALL WE WILL HAVE IS MORE WAR AND
LESS ACTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE.