ROME (AP) — Pope Francis described Donald Trump’s plans to carry out mass deportations of immigrants as “shameful,” nearly a decade after calling him “not Christian” for wanting to build a wall along the border between the United States and Mexico.
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The first Latin American pope in history was asked about the deportation promises of the Trump administration during an appearance on Sunday night on a popular Italian interview program, Che Tempo Che Fa.
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"If it's true, it will be a shame, because it makes the poor wretches who have nothing pay the bill," said Francisco. "That's not right! That's not the way to solve things. Things are not resolved that way," he added.
Trump, who will take office this Monday, made mass deportations a central theme of his campaign and has promised a series of measures on his first day in office to reform immigration policy.
During his first presidential campaign in 2016, Francisco was asked about Trump's plans to build a wall along the border between the United States and Mexico. In statements made after celebrating a mass near the border, Francisco made a famous comment by stating that anyone who builds a wall to keep out migrants "is not Christian."
Many bishops in the United States have strongly opposed Trump's deportation plan. The incoming Archbishop of Washington, D.C., Cardinal Robert McElroy, said that those policies were "incompatible with Catholic doctrine." It was a reference to the biblical call to "welcome the stranger."
Another cardinal close to Francis, Cardinal Blasé Cupich of Chicago, said that the news about possible mass deportations in the Chicago area "are not only deeply disturbing, but also deeply hurt us".
In a statement issued on Sunday from the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City, Cupich said that governments have a responsibility to protect borders and communities.
"But we are also committed to defending the rights of all individuals and protecting their human dignity," according to the text of their statement.
Francisco, who grew up in Argentina in a family of Italian immigrants, has long prioritized the situation of migrants and has urged governments to welcome, protect, and integrate them, within their capacity. He has stated that the dignity and rights of migrants take precedence over any national security concerns.