When Pope Francis announced he would be holding a large mass on the U.S.-Mexican border as part of his apostolic journey to the region, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump accused the holy man of playing politics and not fully understanding “the danger of the open border we have with Mexico.”
“I think Mexico got him to do it,” Trump said, “because Mexico wants to keep the border just the way it is—because they’re making a fortune and we’re losing.”
Well, Trump may have been right—at least about the Pope’s political intentions. During the flight back from Mexico on Thursday night, Francis dabbled in the American presidential contest when he told reporters that Trump’s promised immigration policy makes him “un-Christian.”
“A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not of building bridges, is not Christian. This is not the gospel,” Francis said, no doubt being fully aware of the headlines his comment would generate. “As far as … whether I would advise to vote or not to vote, I am not going to get involved in that. I say only that this man is not Christian if he has said things like that.”
It didn’t take long for Trump to fire back that the Pope had gone too far, calling the pontiff’s remarks “disgraceful.”
Join the conversation as a VIP Member