The Pope Picks a Fight with Donald Trump

Another day and another controversy in the larger than life saga of GOP presidential hopeful Donald Trump. Pope Francis launched the first broadside at Trump but The Donald, who is never at a loss for words, quickly fired back.

According to The Washington Post on the flight back to Rome after the Pope’s six-day trip to Mexico, a reporter asked the Holy Father whether American Catholics should vote for Trump. Pope Francis replied:

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.

The Pope’s remarks came after he had travelled to Ciudad Juarez Mexico and mounted a platform just across from the U.S. border and paid homage to “migrants who have perished trying to reach the United States just a stone’s throw away.”

Trump was quick to respond to the Pope’s remarks. The New York Times reported:

No leader, especially a religious leader, should have the right to question another man’s religion or faith, Mr. Trump said, going on to claim that the pope was being used for political purposes by the Mexican government. They are using the pope as a pawn and they should be ashamed of themselves for doing so, especially when so many lives are involved and when illegal immigration is so rampant.

The other GOP candidates tread lightly around the controversy but rejected the Pontiff’s criticism of Trump and U.S. immigration policy. Jeb Bush, a Catholic, said he wouldn’t question anyone else’s Christianity. Bush said of the controversy, “His Christianity is between he and his creator.”  Gov. John Kasich said that he did not feel that believing in border security and Christianity were mutually exclusive. ABC News quoted Marco Rubio as saying that America is a sovereign country and as such, it has “a right to have immigration laws, and it has a right to enforce immigration laws.”

Pope Francis has become a much-beloved figure during his tenure, but his wisdom and grace lies in the spiritual world, not the political one when it comes to understanding U.S. politics. The majority of Americans feel that border security and immigration are policies that are best decided by our political leaders, not by outsiders.

The Pope’s standing on lecturing America on its immigration policies and border walls is suspect. Anyone who has visited the Vatican has seen the giant walls, dating back more than 1000 years that surround and protect Vatican City from outsiders. No one just walks into Vatican City whenever they want.  There are guards at every entrance, and the Pope’s own house is no more welcoming of uninvited guests than is the U.S. Mexican border.

One doubts it was the Pope’s intention to help Donald Trump but in reality, that is exactly what his intemperate remarks accomplished. The separation of church and state is a cornerstone of the American political psyche, and the Pope’s statement questioning Trump’s Christianity will be seen as an attempt to influence the political process. Both Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio are Catholics, and the Pope’s comments could reignite the issue of a religious leader holding undue influence over a presidential candidate. Pope Francis has made the nomination of Donald Trump more likely, not less.