You know when you were a kid and your parents would drag you over on a Sunday afternoon to visit a distant great aunt you a) never knew existed and b) thinks smells like dust mixed with aloe vera?

And you'd be forced to sit on their musky, hard, floral-patterned sofa and eat your way through Werther's Originals, as the clock in the corner of the room taunted you with the slow-motion movement of the minute hand?

Well, imagine this agonising pain and times it by a billion because that's the situation Pope Francis just endured during an encounter with President Donald Trump.

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Yesterday, the two men enjoyed (suffered) a 28-minute meeting at the Vatican in which the duo were seen standing awkwardly side-by-side for photographers,wearing fake smiles as the Pope looks as if he's met the real-life Devil, while with Melania and Ivanka Trump wore black veils as if attending a funeral.

Of course, it didn't take long before Twitter opened its arms to the hilarious memes from the meeting. (Yes, yes, we are aware of the traditional protocol, but still, can't ignore the symbolism).

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The images of Trump and the Pope's meeting are in stark contrast to when the head of the Catholic Church met with President Barack Obama during his administration.

Just look at those smiles.

According to the Economist, the Vatican described the meeting between the two as 'cordial' and noted the Pope hopes to work with the Trump administration on 'healthcare, education and assistance to immigrants'.

Meanwhile, Trump called the meeting 'great' and 'fantastic' and tweeted that it was an honour to meet His Holiness, despite the fact he previously called the Pope's comments about a wall between the US and Mexico being 'not Christian' as 'disgraceful'.

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However, it sounds like the Pope wasn't the only one unimpressed with his meeting with Donald Trump as, according to CNN, White House press secretary Sean Spicer was desperate to meet the Pope but failed to receive an invite.

The publication reports Spicer – who is an assistant to the President with the top-ranking title for a White House aid – is Catholic, but was told before the meeting he didn't make the cut on the guest list to meet His Holiness.

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A source close to the White House reportedly said of the snub: 'Wow. That's all he wanted.'

This might just be the first time we feel sorry for old Spicey.

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Katie O'Malley
Site Director

Katie O'Malley is the Site Director on ELLE UK. On a daily basis you’ll find Katie managing all digital workflow, editing site, video and newsletter content, liaising with commercial and sales teams on new partnerships and deals (eg Nike, Tiffany & Co., Cartier etc), implementing new digital strategies and compiling in-depth data traffic, SEO and ecomm reports. In addition to appearing on the radio and on TV, as well as interviewing everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Rishi Sunak PM, Katie enjoys writing about lifestyle, culture, wellness, fitness, fashion, and more.