Pope Francis stated Wednesday that human dignity is not a question of citizenship, while also insisting that America’s immigration problem dates back to well before the Trump Administration.
In a first tweet, which bore the hashtag #WithRefugees, the pontiff said that a person’s dignity is independent of citizenship status, adding that “saving the life” of a person fleeing war or poverty is “an act of humanity.”
A couple hours later, the pope returned to Twitter to tell folks that we meet Jesus in the poor, the rejected, and in refugees and to urge people not to let fear get in the way of welcoming migrants.
In an exclusive interview with Reuters obtained by Breitbart News Wednesday, Pope Francis refused to take a position on the current immigration debates taking place in the United States, but insisted that they pre-date Donald Trump.
The pope said that he stood behind the U.S. bishops but did not have a personal opinion on the matter. “Not to wash my hands,” he said, “but because I don’t know the situation there very well.”
In his interview, Reuters reported Phil Pullella pushed further, asking Francis what he thinks of “the current situation where in the last months some 2000 minors have been separated from their parents and families at the border with Mexico.”
Once again, the pope declined to answer, repeating that he stood with the bishops.
The pope then went on to add: “During the Obama years I celebrated Mass in Ciudad Juárez while on the other side of the border 50 bishops concelebrated and in the stadium there were many people. The problem already existed there. It’s not just an issue with Trump but goes back to prior governments.”
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