Phil Pullella, Reuters: Today, you spoke very eloquently about the problems of immigration. On the other side of the border, there is a very tough electoral battle. One of the candidates for the White House, Republican Donald Trump, in an interview recently said that you are a political man and he even said that you are a pawn, an instrument of the Mexican government for migration politics. Trump said that if he’s elected, he wants to build 2,500 kilometers of wall along the border. He wants to deport 11 million illegal immigrants, separating families, etcetera. I would like to ask you, what do you think of these accusations against you and if a North American Catholic can vote for a person like this?
Pope Francis: Thank God he said I was a politician because Aristotle defined the human person as 'animal politicus.' At least I am a human person. As to whether I am a pawn, well, maybe, I don't know. I'll leave that up to your judgment and that of the people. And then, a person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian. This is not in the Gospel. As far as what you said about 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. We must see if he said things in that way and in this I give the benefit of the doubt.
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| Donald Trump |
Nations have the right and the responsibility to secure their borders. Nations have a right to defend themselves. A wall on America's southern border is decades overdue. His reference to Donald Trump as not being "Christian" cannot be supported. Any defense that he was speaking in some general term and not specific simply cannot be believed. It is simply not possible to accept that he did not know of Mr. Trump's proposal or that the question would have referred to that proposal.
The reporter set him up. The Pope fell for it and not "if" is good enough. The Pope must have known that the reporter was speaking specifically about Mr.Trump, it could have been no other way. Bill Donahue, on Fox commenting on the exact quote read to him said that the Pope, "qualified" his remark. The whole quote makes it even more obvious that the Pope would have no doubt as to the political implications of his statement as it referred to the "wall" and whether "Catholics could vote" for someone who would build a wall.
The reporter set him up. The Pope fell for it and not "if" is good enough. The Pope must have known that the reporter was speaking specifically about Mr.Trump, it could have been no other way. Bill Donahue, on Fox commenting on the exact quote read to him said that the Pope, "qualified" his remark. The whole quote makes it even more obvious that the Pope would have no doubt as to the political implications of his statement as it referred to the "wall" and whether "Catholics could vote" for someone who would build a wall.
Donald Trump is a Presbyterian Christian Protestant. We must assume he has been baptised. Thus, he is a Christian. He may be in a schismatic and heretical denomination; he may be a vulgar sinner, none of that means that he is not a Christian, just that he is a flawed human being as we all are.
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| Baptised Catholic Raul Castro and Pope Bergoglio |
It is not anti-Christian to hold the defense of a nation as paramount, in fact, it is a Christian duty!
All or most of the candidates for the Republican nomination want to build a wall. It is clear that the questioner was referring to Donald Trump and is most known for the position.
Where is Jorge Bergoglio's condemnation of our radical abortion, euthanasia supporting, Catholic Prime Minister who worshipped in a Mosque?
Where is Jorge Bergoglio's condemnation of those such as Raul and Fidel Castro for the murders, tortures and imprisonments of thousands of Cubans?
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| "Christian" Hussein Obama with Pope Bergolio |
Where is the condemnation of Hussein Obama as not being a Christian for failing to come to the immediate aid of those in Mosul and elsewhere in Iraq and Syria being slaughtered for all to see?
Yet, he was asked a not dissimilar manner of question about the situation in Italy, yet; he clearly understood the need to steer clear of Italian politics, why not the same understanding for American politics?
Carlo Marroni, Il Sole 24 (Italy): Holy Father, my question is about the family, a subject which you addressed often during this trip. The Italian parliament is discussing a law on civil unions, a subject that is provoking strong political clashes but also a strong debate in society and among Catholics. In particular, I would like to know your thoughts on the subject of adoption by civil unions and therefore on the rights of children and of sons and daughters in general.
Pope Francis: First of all, I don’t know how things stand in the thinking of the Italian parliament. The Pope doesn’t get mixed up in Italian politics. At the first meeting I had with the (Italian) bishops in May 2013, one of the three things I said was: with the Italian government you’re on your own. Because the pope is for everybody and he can’t insert himself in the specific internal politics of a country. This is not the role of the pope, right? And what I think is what the Church thinks and has said so often – because this is not the first country to have this experience, there are so many – I think what the Church has always said about this.
The full text of the plane ride interview can be read at Catholic World Report. The Pope says some good things and worthwhile things in his own odd way and much of it is rambling. He praises Cardinal Ratzinger's work to root out the pervert priests, he condemns bishops who cover them up. He call abortion "evil" and then he steps on the landmine of agreeing with some sort of contraception for a virus to prevent a disease that is not scientifically determined to be caused by it.
These interviews must stop!
As for the primary news item from this post, it will launch him to victory on Saturday. This Catholic apologises to Mr. Trump and wonders, who is Francis to judge?
These interviews must stop!
As for the primary news item from this post, it will launch him to victory on Saturday. This Catholic apologises to Mr. Trump and wonders, who is Francis to judge?