Pope Francis Angers MAGA Republicans Over Border Comments

May 24, 2024

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In an interview on CBS, Pope Francis responded to interview questions about the status of a Catholic charity being targeted by the state of Texas for providing services to migrants who entered the country unlawfully. As a result, conservatives are attacking his position.

Comments on Texas Lawsuit Against Charity

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Pope Francis briefly spoke in support of Annunciation House, a nonprofit organization that aids migrants that have come into the country, including through illegal means and through human trafficking. Annunciation House is the subject of a lawsuit by the State of Texas, which accuses the entity of facilitating illegal entry.

Texas Attorney General’s Actions

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A lawsuit initiated by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton against Annunciation House has been pending since February. A judge sided with Annunciation House in March, and Paxton renewed his legal challenge against the charity in May.

Francis Criticizes U.S. Border Policy

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More broadly, Pope Francis has called the strict immigration policy in the U.S. “madness” and instead emphasized the benefits of migration in helping a country grow.

Francis Advocates for Welcoming Migrants

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Providing his own insight into the faith and morality angle of immigration challenges, Pope Francis advised that the U.S. should accept the migrants, judge each individual case in a humane fashion according to the law, and decide if it best to send the migrants back to their country of origin.

Pope States Migration is Solution

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Pope Francis stated, “For an immigration policy to be good, it must have four things: for the migrant to be received, assisted, promoted, and integrated. This is what is most important, to integrate them into the new life.”

Mothers and Children Walk “Thousands of Miles” For Entry

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This statement came in response to the interviewer Norah O’Donnell’s assertion that large numbers of mothers and children have fled violence and walked “thousands of miles” to the border seeking entry and hope for the future.

Biden’s Support for Bipartisan Border Bill Compromise

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Both political parties in the U.S. know that immigration is a salient political issue that could mobilize voters in November. To take a proactive stance on the topic, President Biden supported a bipartisan border compromise reached in the Senate to address the runaway number of illegal crossings.

Trump’s Opposition to Bipartisan Senate Bill

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Former President Donald Trump weighed in, putting his force behind opposition to this bill. Some believe that Republicans will not support the bill because they do not want to hand Democrats a winning political talking point ahead of the election. So far, Democrats trail Republicans for those concerned most with border security and immigration issues.

Reaction from Trump Supporters

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Following Pope Francis’s 60-minute interview, in which immigration occupied a small fraction of a relatively short interview, there was a large reaction from the conservative viewers.

Conservative Commentator Called Pope A “Hypocrite”

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Rogan O’Handley, a conservative commentator, stated that Pope Francis is a “hypocrite” for not espousing his vision at the Vatican and taking in large numbers of illegal aliens.

Criticism from Far-Right Activists

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Far-right writer and political activist Jack Posobiec stated that Pope Francis’s and similar attacks on nations for not having more open borders are too focused on Western and developed countries. Additionally, he stated that a nation state does not have a moral duty to open its border to migrants.

Comedian Tim Young’s Remarks

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Echoing the “hypocrite” charge, Conservative comedian Tim Young pointed out the irony of the Vatican being surrounded by walls and the Swiss Guard while Pope Francis criticizes U.S. attempts to patrol the border and eliminate unlawful entry.

Calls for the Vatican to Open Its Doors

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Those disgruntled by Pope Francis’s interview on the topic of borders have suggested that the Pope remove security structures and patrol from the Vatican. They argue that if the U.S. approved the Vatican’s stance, Americans’ freedoms and safety would be compromised.