Pope Francis in Interviews during 2017-2019

On Energy & Oil: Climate change is a critical problem that must be addressed

The pope believes that man-made climate change is a critical problem that must be addressed by world leaders. Trump, on the other hand, has called climate change a hoax created by the Chinese, and wants to back out of the Paris climate accords.

Europeans seem to fall more in the pope's school of opinion. Indeed, when Trump arrived in Rome, he was greeted with an illuminated message blazoned across the dome of St. Peter's Basilica by environmental activists that read "Planet Earth First."

Source: Vox.com on 2020 Presidential Hopefuls, "Trump-Pope Meeting" May 24, 2017

On Immigration: Opposes border wall between US and Mexico

Trump and Pope Francis have made no effort to hide their shared enmity over the past few years. During the presidential campaign, the Pope--who is revered for his deep humility and sincere affinity for the poor and downtrodden--was cutting about Trump's plan to build a border wall with Mexico. "A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian. This is not the gospel," Francis said in February 2016.

Trump fired back via Facebook: "If and when the Vatican is attacked by ISIS, which as everyone knows is ISIS's ultimate trophy, I can promise you that the Pope would have only wished and prayed that Donald Trump would have been President because this would not have happened. ISIS would have been eradicated unlike what is happening now with our all talk, no action politicians."

Trump added, huffily, "No leader, especially a religious leader, should have the right to question another man's religion or faith."

Source: Vox.com on 2020 Presidential Hopefuls, "Trump-Pope Meeting" May 24, 2017

On Immigration: Vocal advocate for the plight of refugees

The pope is a passionate and vocal advocate for the plight of refugees, and he believes that man-made climate change is a critical problem that must be addressed by world leaders. Trump, on the other hand, has tried to temporarily ban all refugees from the United States, called climate change a hoax created by the Chinese, and wants to back out of the Paris climate accords. Source: Vox.com on 2020 Presidential Hopefuls, "Trump-Pope Meeting" May 24, 2017

The above quotations are from Interviews during 2017-2019, interviewing presidential hopefuls for 2020. Click here for main summary page. Click here for a profile of Pope Francis. Click here for Pope Francis on all issues.
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Page last updated: Nov 01, 2021