It seems Lowe's optimism was not misplaced. According to a statement released by the Vatican Press Office, the discussions, which lasted about 30 minutes, were cordial.

However, in general the media have stuck to their prepared text. A tweet calling Francis "my favorite angsty teen' went viral.

But as Sarah Pullia Bailey pointed out in the Washington Post, there are plenty of photos and videos of the pontiff smiling with Trump.

Lowe pointed out that that while agreement on issues discussed between the two leaders may not be on the cards, it would be an interesting meeting of two of the most prominent figures in the world.

"President Trump's itinerary is fascinating in itself in that he is meeting with leaders from the Muslim, Jewish and Christian world who have such differing views in a complex global situation," Lowe said.

"The Pope and President coming face to face, even if it is to air their differences, cannot be a bad thing."

"As Pope Francis has said recently, 'Look for the doors that are at least a little bit open, enter and talk about common things and go on. Step by step. Respect the other, say what you think, but with respect, walk together.'"

"Respect and walking together is certainly what the world needs and would be a great outcome of the meeting and the President's tour," said Lowe.

The Vatican press release said, "Satisfaction was expressed, for the good existing bilateral relations between the Holy See and the United States of America as well as for their joint commitment in favour of life, and freedom of worship and conscience.

"It is hoped," it added, "that there may be serene collaboration between the State and the Catholic Church in the United States, engaged in service to the people in the fields of healthcare, education and assistance to immigrants.

The discussions, it also noted, "enabled an exchange of views on various themes relating to international affairs and the promotion of peace in the world through political negotiation and inter-religious dialogue, with particular reference to the situation in the Middle East and the protection of Christian communities."

Vatican Radio:

• Pope Francis meets President Trump in the Vatican
• Listen to Philippa Hitchen's report

The Story Behind the Viral Photo of Pope Francis and Donald Trump

Source

• Supplied
• en.radiovaticana.va
• washingtonpost.com
• Image: timedotcom.files.wordpress.com

The study, performed by Internet-based market research firm YouGov from the United Kingdom, ranked the world's 20 "most admired" men and women separately.

The most admired man for New Zealand respondents was David Attenborough, followed by Richie McCaw, Barack Obama and Stephen Hawking.

Prime Minister John Key ranked 13th on the New Zealand list.

The most admired women ranked by New Zealanders were Queen Elizabeth II, Helen Clark, Lydia Ko, Oprah Winfrey and Ellen DeGeneres.

World-wide Stephen Hawking and Vladimir Putin pushed Pope Francis out of the men's top ten most admired.

He dropped from sixth to thirteenth.

The Pope ranked first in the Philippines and second in the United States.

According to YouGov, the Pope's drop may be explained by expectations of reform that distanced Francis from his predecessors, which have dimmed as the Argentine pontiff becomes "institutionalised".

The Dalai Lama came in ahead of him this year as the world's most admired spiritual leader.

Pope Francis also rated above Prince William, Dan Carter and Brendon McCullum in New Zealand.

In Brazil, Francis ranked 20th and in Mexico he came in ninth.

The most admired man overall was Microsoft founder Bill Gates, with Barack Obama second.

According to another survey Pope Francis remains the worlds most popular leader.

The survey, taken in March of 1,000 people in 64 countries respectively, puts the popularity of the Pope above US President Barack Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, as well as British Prime Minister David Cameron and French President Francois Hollande.

Francis achieved a net score of +41 - the difference between favourable and unfavourable opinions - 11 points ahead of closest rival President Obama, who achieved +30.

The regions where the Pope is held in highest esteem are Latin America, North America and Europe.

Portugal has the highest number of individuals with a positive view of the Pope, followed by the Philippines.

Segmented by religious belief, Roman Catholics view the Pope most favourably, followed by Jews and then Protestants.

Only 28 per cent of Muslims and 33 per cent of Buddhists see Francis in a positive light, but most of the Muslims and Buddhists surveyed had not heard of him.

The majority of atheists and agnostics polled view him favourably, according to the results.

Source

• cruxnow.com
• yougov.co.uk
• thetablet.co.nz
• Image: cruxnow.com

Auckland Diocese spokesperson Lyndsay Freer was interviewed on RadioLive last Thursday.

Mrs Freer told CathNews, "It's no surprise, after reading his apostolic exhortation, Joy of the Gospel, and the many impromptu homilies at his daily Masses and public audiences, that Francis breaks new ground for Catholic sociology, while preserving doctrinal integrity.

"The carrot rather than the stick is his preferred modus operandi focusing on the fact that we are all embraced and loved by God."

The news of Time Magazine's choice of Pope Francis as Person of the Year was also covered by:

• The New Zealand Herald
• Radio New Zealand National
• Fairfax Media
• TVNZ
• TV3
• Scoop

Truth also mentioned the Pope's selection as person of the year, providing a link to its source entitled Crime which when clicked takes the reader to the New Zealand Herald.

Source:

• Supplied: Lyndsay Freer
• Image: Time Magazine

The unidentified child shook off cardinals as they tried to lead him away, and turned down bribes of candy in favour of clinging to the Pope's legs as he addressed the audience for Family Day.

• View Video
• Look at Pictures

They aren't scary because of anything Pope Francis actually says; the former Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio spent decades choosing his words carefully as an Argentine priest and then prelate of Buenos Aires, emphasizing the pastoral care of the Catholic Church while the extremes of politics from both left and right engulfed Argentina for decades.

The first Jesuit pontiff knows how to speak about faith and clearly enjoys doing so — and Catholics aren't alone in their enthusiasm for listening.

So where does my anxiety come from? Well, from having to read what the media think Francis said.

Often, I find out from U.S. newspaper headlines that the pope has declared faith irrelevant to salvation or that same-sex marriage is acceptable. I stumble on these breaking-news bulletins before most Catholics are even aware of the interview itself.

But here's the truth: The media seem incapable of understanding the pope, and Catholicism itself.

It's not as if they haven't had the practice.

The problem first became apparent in the spring, shortly after Pope Francis's installation, when USA Today reported about the pontiff's supposed "obsession with Satan," which must have come as a shock to Catholics, Christians, and others who have, er … actually read the Bible.

Having "mentioned the devil on a handful of occasions," the newspaper took an innocuous incident in which Pope Francis gave a blessing to a disabled young man and speculated that the Jesuit pontiff was an exorcist. Or perhaps from The Exorcist.

The Vatican had to inform the world press that no priest performs ad hoc exorcisms, and that popes usually pray with and bless visitors to St. Peter's Square.

There is nothing secret about exorcisms in the Catholic Church, nor about papal blessings or the belief that Satan is a real and malevolent force in the universe.

Any media organization could have flipped through the Catholic catechism, canon law, or even the Bible — all of which are online.

Instead, USA Today and other media outlets around the world seemed stunned that a pope would talk about Satan, which led Fox News's Kirsten Powers to quip on Twitter, "The @AP should just change the title to this story to BREAKING: Pope Francis believes the Bible." Continue reading

Sources

• Edward Morrissey in The Week
• Image: First Things

Edward Morrissey writes for Hot Air and hosts several internet and radio talk shows.