Pope labels Trump’s planned mass deportations ‘a disgrace’

Pope Francis has criticized Donald Trump’s plans to deport immigrants en masse, condemning the US president-elect’s initiative as a “disgrace.”

In an interview with the Italian channel Nove on Sunday, the pontiff was asked about the incoming Trump administration’s plans to enact a series of immigration executive orders aimed at expelling undocumented immigrants. The deportation pledge was a key promise of Trump’s election campaign.

“If it is true, it will be a disgrace, because it makes the poor wretches who have nothing to pay the unpaid bill. It won’t do. This is not the way to solve things,” Pope Francis said.

Advocating for migrants has been a key part of Francis’ papacy, as he has consistently emphasized the need to welcome and integrate them into society. The 88-year-old told the broadcaster that he had not spoken with Trump since his victory in the November election. He also urged countries with declining birth rates to welcome more migrants.

Meanwhile, Trump, set to be sworn in on Monday, has pledged to begin deporting millions of undocumented immigrants on his first day in office, describing “the largest deportation program in American history” as a cornerstone of his campaign.

This is not the first time Francis has found himself at odds with Trump over his immigration policies.

In 2016, Francis, the first Latin American Pope, criticized Trump’s plans to build a wall along the US-Mexico border, declaring that a “person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian.”

Trump responded by calling the Pope “disgraceful” and a “very political person.” However, the pair appeared to reconcile in 2017 when the Republican visited the Vatican, describing the visit as the “honor of a lifetime.”

However, as Trump returns to the White House, Pope Francis seems to be ready to adopt a critical stance toward the new US administration, with the appointment of Cardinal Robert McElroy as the next Archbishop of Washington, DC. McElroy has publicly stated that the mass deportation of immigrants is “incompatible with Catholic doctrine,” according to CNN.