Pope’s remarks irk Trump backers

On the final day of his trip to Mexico on Wednesday, Pope Francis visited Juarez, across the border from El Paso, and highlighted the flow of immigrants from Latin America to the United States.

Francis has said borders too often are “monuments of exclusion” and has called on the United States and Mexico to protect migrants escaping poverty and violence in Central America.

The visit comes during a U.S. presidential campaign marked by rhetoric built on excluding most of these migrants. Will the pope alter the tone of that rhetoric?

No problem, as long as the pope follows his own demands, thusly: “Do as I do and not just do as I say.”

This means removing the walls around the Vatican, taking in any and all refugees and feeding and clothing them.

When they get ready to leave, the pope needs to use some of the large amount of wealth that the Vatican treasury has and give these people a stipend to help them in their new and better life.

Faith does not require that nations, whether wealthier or not, simply open their borders to anyone and everyone who seeks entry.

Determining just limits on such migration, or attempting to block it entirely, are prudential decisions that are based on numerous factors like keeping those out who have a proven record of a propensity toward violence or refuse to assimilate within our culture and those who tend to live off the welfare state disproportionately.

This pope has many liberal thoughts and political opinions, and while he certainly has a right to voice them he cannot change Catholic doctrine or common sense.

His sometimes imprudent speeches and comments are likely causing great angst in the minds and hearts of many Catholics who don’t share his progressive outlooks.

The pope’s heart is in the right place on the immigration issue, but unfortunately it will have no effect, even among the most religiously conservative candidates.

The pope has preached acceptance and compassion toward immigrants and refugees fleeing disastrous conditions in their home country.

It’s unfortunate that the trend in conservative politics seems to be immigrant-bashing and xenophobia, rather than respect and kindness for human beings fleeing poverty and violence.

Whatever happened to the compassionate conservative? If the Republican Party is to build a winning coalition for the 2016 election, then it must become more inclusive, rather than exclusive.

The Republican defeat in 2012 taught us that alienating Hispanics will cost you an election, yet the top three contenders for the Republican nomination in 2016 openly exalt their anti-immigrant positions.

Apparently Ronald Reagan’s 1986 amnesty for illegal immigrants won’t be criticized by the right, but President Obama’s attempts at reform will.

On Thursday, Pope Francis said this about Donald Trump: “A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian.”

As an old country boy, the first thing that came to my mind was: Who built the Vatican?

The pope criticizes us for wanting to control our border — for wanting a good wall. However, I understand that the Vatican is walled for protection.

The pope didn’t specifically call Trump by name as not being a Christian.

Jesus was about unity and inclusion, not separation. Jesus’s way is difficult, which is why so many are not real Christians, but rather those He railed against most: hypocrites or fakers.

So you tell me: Is Donald Trump a Christian? A Christian does not tolerate torture, and certainly not publicly state there should be more or it and even worse than waterboarding.

Would a Christian berate and insult women, the handicapped or others he feels stand in his way?

He’s already admitted not asking God for forgiveness and he’s publicly shown he’s not a forgiving person.

And don’t forget the complete and total lack of humility or the failure of him to keep his wedding vows. Wives to him seem to be something he needs to regularly upgrade. Or the Two Corinthians debacle!

So you tell me?

In the war of words between the pope and The Donald, I’m on the side of the pope.

He’s very correct that many of Trump’s views are not the Christian view at all. Building bridges is much better than building walls.

To the pope, I say: Keep up the good work!

This story was originally published February 19, 2016 at 5:53 PM with the headline "Pope’s remarks irk Trump backers."