Pope Francis has extended his prayers to Donald Trump, wishing him wisdom and strength

Pope Francis extended his best wishes to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Monday through a customary message ahead of the presidential inauguration ceremony in Washington. Despite having previously voiced strong opposition to Trump’s anti-immigrant stance, the pontiff expressed his hope that God would bestow upon Trump “wisdom, strength, and protection” as he resumes the presidency.

“It is my aspiration that under your guidance, the American populace will thrive and continually work towards establishing a more equitable society, free from hatred, discrimination, and exclusion,” the pope remarked.

Since becoming the leader of the 1.4 billion-member Catholic Church in 2013, Francis has employed notably strong rhetoric in his critiques of Trump. His congratulatory message followed a day after he labeled Trump’s anticipated plan to significantly ramp up immigration enforcement across the U.S. as a “disgrace.” In an interview with Italian television on Sunday, the pontiff stated that the plan would unjustly burden migrants who are already vulnerable.

Officials from the incoming Trump administration indicated on Saturday that the president-elect was reconsidering his plans for immigration raids in Chicago, in light of recent reports. During the 2016 election campaign, Francis had previously remarked that Trump was “not Christian” due to his immigration policies.