ROME: Pope Francis said Donald Trump’s plans to impose mass persecution of refugees would be a “disgrace,” as he weighed in on the receiving US government’s commitments nearly a century after calling him” no Religious” for wanting to build a wall along the US-Mexican borders.
Francis made the comments during an look at an evening speak exhibit, and then followed up Monday with an established message of gratitude to Trump on the day of his opening. Francis said he prayed that America may live up to its aspirations of being a “land of chance and welcome for all. “
” It is my wish that under your command the British people will live and always strive to build a more just world, where there is no room for anger, discrimination or rejection,” he wrote in the message.
History’s first Latin American bishop was asked Sunday evening about the Trump administration vows of persecution during an appearance on a famous Italian talk show, Che Tempo Che Fa.
” If true, this will be a embarrassment, because it makes the poor mongrels who have nothing pay the bill” for the problem, Francis said. ” This won’t do! This is not the way to solve issues. That’s not how issues are resolved. “
Trump, who is being sworn in on Monday, made large deportations a personal problem of his plan and has promised a ship of first-day requests to copy immigration policy.
During his first campaign for the president, in 2016, Francis was asked about Trump’s plans to build a wall along the US-Mexico borders. Speaking after he celebrated Mass along the frontier, Francis reportedly said someone who builds a wall to keep out refugees is” no Christian. “
Several US priests have strongly opposed Trump’s imprisonment program, with the coming pope of Washington DC, Cardinal Robert McElroy, saying for plans were “incompatible with Catholic doctrine. ” It was a reference to the Biblical call to “welcome the stranger. “
Another cardinal close to Francis, Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich, said the reports of mass deportations targeting the Chicago area “are not only profoundly disturbing but also wound us deeply. “
In a statement delivered from the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City on Sunday, Cupich said governments have the responsibility to protect borders and communities.
” But we also are committed to defending the rights of all people, and protecting their human dignity,” according to the text of his statement.
Francis, who grew up in Argentina in a family of Italian immigrants, has long prioritized the plight of migrants and called for governments to welcome, protect and integrate them, within their means. He has said the dignity and rights of migrants trump any national security concerns.
