Donald Trump focused his ire on Pope Francis Thursday, while appearing on Fox Business With Stuart Varney because the pontiff was headed to Mexico.
So I think the pope is a very political person and I think that he doesn’t understand the problems our country has,” Trump said.
Trump added he didn’t think the pope “understands the danger of the open border we have with Mexico.”
He added, “And I think Mexico got him to do it because Mexico wants to keep the border just the way it is because they’re making a fortune and we’re losing.”
I wonder if the Donald is jumping the gun? Bill O'Reilly, Trump's good buddy, often criticises the church for inserting themselves in issues that do not line up with their orthodoxy. But it doesn't appear that the Pope will tackle Trump, head on.
When the Pope visits Mexico February 12-17, he is not expected to tussle with Trump or directly criticize U.S. immigration policy. Papal aides said Francis wants to avoid appearing to intervene in the presidential election.
Will Francis fire back? Not likely. But Catholic leaders say the pontiff will send an unmistakeable message when he travels to the border in Juarez, Mexico next Wednesday.
"He will be calling on us to look with compassion on a group of people who have suffered terribly," said Bishop Mark Seitz of El Paso, Texas, a city that sits across the Rio Grande from Juarez. "And perhaps that will lead people to seek out some different solutions than are now being proposed."
Francis has already spoken out against impenetrable international borders, calling them "monuments of exclusion" and even a "form of suicide" that closes countries in on themselves. He has also urged the United States and Mexico to protect Central American migrants, particularly children, seeking to escape poverty and violence.
