US President Donald Trump on Sunday shared a personal letter from American evangelist Franklin Graham assuring the president that eternal salvation was available to him through faith in Jesus Christ.

Graham, 73, wrote the letter last October after Trump publicly said he was "not sure" he would make it to heaven. As posted by Trump on his social media platform Truth Social, the evangelist opened by congratulating Trump on the Israel-Hamas ceasefire and the return of Israeli hostages, calling his leadership "historic" and praising the developments as "an answer to much prayer."

Graham then turned to spiritual matters, telling Trump that no amount of "good works, prominence, success" could secure a place in heaven, and that "the only way" was through faith in Jesus Christ.

"It is an important issue to know for certain that your soul is secure and will spend eternity in the presence of God," the evangelist wrote.

He urged Trump to confess his faith and invite Jesus Christ into his heart, promising him he would be "heaven bound." He cited a biblical verse and said Trump remained in his prayers.

Trump had previously said he wanted to "try and get to heaven, if possible," suggesting he had been told his chances were not good.

Graham's letter was written during a period of relative calm following the ceasefire last Oct. 10 between the Palestinian group Hamas and Israel. Israeli forces have since carried out daily violations of that ceasefire, killing at least 691 people and wounding 1,876, according to Palestinian Health Ministry data.

Israel's war on Gaza, launched in October 2023, has killed more than 72,000 Palestinians, wounded around 172,000 and devastated around 90% of the enclave's civilian infrastructure.

Graham, over the decades, has made several Islamophobic remarks, from calling it a “very evil and wicked religion” in the wake of the 2001 terrorist attacks in the US, to Time magazine in 2010 quoting him as falsely claiming it to be “a religion of hatred … a religion of war.” (AA)

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