Trump vs Pope - Trump wins
It’s on. Trump v Francis: 2016. What a presidential race that would make. Francis is the only man who could best Trump in a debate – you can’t call the Pope “low energy” or a “horrible person” and get away with it. Trump, meanwhile, would probably cast doubt on whether or not the Pope really can be Pope because, well, he wasn’t born in the Vatican. “If I win, we’re gonna hold a Reformation – and it’ll be huuuuuuge!”
This is all classic Francis: a man speaking from the heart, hugely open to both benign and malign interpretation. We could be nice and focus on the bit where he said that he gave Trump “the benefit of the doubt”. Even so, it’s still highly unusual for a Pope to comment in this way on the internal politics of a democratic nation – and even more unusual, for a Pope known to love ecumenical dialogue, for him to actually question the faith of a politician. Anyway, Trump rose to the occasion and replied with a warning that if Isil bombs the Vatican then Francis will wish he backed Trump. As if Francis has a vote. Which he doesn’t. None of this makes very much sense, which is The Donald's effect on politics. It's like WWE wrestling. "You attack my faith, Pope Francis? Then you're going dooooown!"
Who won this bout? Trump probably. South Carolina votes on Saturday and it’s overwhelmingly Protestant, so few votes will be lost. Many Americans will argue that a strong immigration policy isn’t a contradiction of Christian ethics – although Francis’ point that there’s something unwholesome about always wanting to erect barriers is strong. Moreover, many conservatives see the Pope as – to use Twitter jargon – a Social Justice Warrior whose own faith is diluted by his "unreasonable" obsession with helping the poor. In short, this fight won’t hurt Trump. If anything, the fact that a Pope is commenting on him affirms his frontrunner status.
Why do so many evangelicals and – yes – Catholics support a three-times married, foul-mouthed New Yorker who used to favour legalised abortion? Because they like the fact that he offers no compromise with liberalism. They gamble that because he’s beholden to no one, he’s more likely to fight their corner. Trump is their response to the "tyranny" of political correctness, a shield of righteous fury to hide behind. You know where you stand with him, even if you can't stand him. A little squabble with a Pope – especially one who speaks Spanish – won’t hurt The Donald.
Donald Trump v Pope Francis? Trump wins - Telegraph
Vatican: Pope Francis Was Not Singling Out Donald Trump With 'Wall' Remarks
Vatican: Pope Francis Was Not Singling Out Donald Trump With 'Wall' Remarks
A spokesman for Pope Francis insisted Friday the pontiff was "in no way" launching an attack on Donald Trump nor was he trying to sway voters by declaring someone who advocates building walls isn't Christian.
The Rev. Federico Lombardi, in an interview on Vatican Radio, stressed that Francis often speaks about building bridges, not walls, and that his remark on Thursday wasn't "a personal attack" on the business mogul running for the Republican presidential nomination.
Flying back to Rome from a pilgrimage that included Mass at the Mexican side of the border with the United States, Francis, answering a reporter's question, had said that a person who advocates building walls is "not Christian."
Trump, who has repeatedly called for a wall to divide the U.S. and Mexico while campaigning for November's election, quickly retorted it was "disgraceful" to question a person's faith.
On Friday, Lombardi sought to put the pope's comments in context, saying they were "in no way a personal attack or an indication on how to vote." The radio interviewer told Lombardi that many have seen the comment as a kind of "excommunication, if we can call it that," of Trump.
"But the pope said what we well know, when we follow his teaching and his positions: that one mustn't build walls, but bridges," Lombardi said.
"He has always said this, continuously. And he has said it also about migration issues in Europe, very many times. Thus, it's not at all a specific question, limited to this case," the spokesman said.
Trump appeared pleased with the comments, referencing them at a campaign rally Friday.
"Yesterday, the pope was great," Trump told an audience in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, where he is campaigning. "He made a beautiful statement this morning. They had him convinced that illegal immigration was like a wonderful thing. Not wonderful for us. It's wonderful for Mexico."
Some European countries have erected fences or raised the possibility of building fences and other barriers on their borders after hundreds of thousands of asylum-seekers reached the continent by sea and land, fleeing war or poverty.
"The pope said clearly that he wasn't stepping into voting issues in the electoral campaign in the United States," Lombardi added. He said the pope was also "giving the benefit of the doubt" on what Trump had said.
Trump alluded to this context as he softened his rhetoric about the pope, saying at a town hall event on CNN that he believes Francis' remarks were "probably a little bit nicer" than first reported.
Vatican: Pope Francis Was Not Singling Out Donald Trump With 'Wall' Remarks - NBC News
