POPE, TRUMP, AND IMMIGRATION
February 18, 2016
Bill Donohue comments on Pope Francis and Donald Trump:POPE, TRUMP, AND IMMIGRATION
February 18, 2016 by Bill
Filed under Latest News Releases
Bill Donohue comments on Pope Francis and Donald Trump:
Earlier today, I commented on how the media like to ask Donald Trump to opine about the pope’s position on immigration, but no one wants to ask Hillary Clinton about the pope’s position on abortion. Now the pope is being asked about Trump’s position on immigration. The pope is making headlines everywhere for saying, “Trump is not a Christian.” But there is much more to this story than what is being reported.
First, the question to the pope inaccurately reflected Trump’s views. Quite frankly, the pope was set up. The reporter told the pope that Trump “wants to deport 11 million illegal immigrants, thus separating families.” That is patently false. On August 16, 2015, Chuck Todd, on “Meet the Press,” asked Trump, “You’re going to split up families. You’re going to deport children?” To which Trump said, “Chuck—no, no. No, we’re going to keep the families together. We have to keep the families together.” When asked where they would go, Trump said, “We will work with them.” So the pope was misled.
Second, after misrepresenting what Trump said, the reporter asked the pope “if an American Catholic can vote for someone like this.” This is rather amazing: Do some in the media now want the pope to tell Catholics who to vote for!
Third, the pope, unlike the media, was totally fair to Trump. He said, “A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian.” (My italic.) He added that “I say only that this man is not Christian if he has said things like that…and in this I give the benefit of the doubt.” (My italics.)
In fact, Trump’s official position on immigration lists three principles: “A nation without borders is not a nation”; “A nation without laws is not a nation”; “A nation that does not serve its own citizens is not a nation.” The last two principles are never mentioned by the media, thus do they distort Trump’s thinking. The bias, which is as strong on the right as it is on the left, is astounding. (MY COMMENT: AND IN THE CHURCH AND THOSE WHO COMMENT HERE!)
16 comments:
The Pope is not too bright if he allows himself to be used by a brainless media tool.
"The Pope is not too bright if he allows himself to be used by a brainless media tool."
+5 Points is the Ad Hominem Sweepstakes.
It is certainly distressing to note the regularity in which he gets caught in 'gotcha' questions by the media on these trips.
The headlines "Pope OK's contraception" is going out on all the news wires - it'll be on tonight's news and untold millions of Catholics - most of whom are Low Information Catholic media consumers who get the lion's share of their information about the Church and faith from secular sources will be told in no nuanced terms how awesome it is that the Church is now OK with contraception thanks to Zika...and by extension, for any other 'grave' threat to the fetus....
By next week it'll reinforce the masses in their conviction that the Pill is a-OK.
It's a disaster on par with the "who am I to judge" quip that was used domestically to advance the gay marriage is the wave of the future against which resistance is futile movement in the run up to SCOTUS' caving on the issue.
I don't expect our clergy to address this issue so it'll be left to us to play the impossible role of "killjoy" once again.
This is what 'taking up your cross' is all about. Being hated and scorned by men when trying to preach the Gospel to power.
Pope "who am I to judge" Francis has judged.......publicly........that Donald Trump is not a Christian because he wants to deport people who are in this country illegally and have made themselves criminals. So apparently Pope Francis is able to judge Donald Trump's heart.
Hillary Clinton believes it is wonderful that mothers can murder their unborn children.....is she a Christian.
Hillary Clinton believes in gay "marriage"........is she a Christian!
Hillary Clinton believes that if a man puts on a wig and a dress that the man is a real woman........Is she a Christian or nuts?!
This pope has gone to Communist Cuba not once but twice and met with both of that country's murderous dictators. Men who have killed innocent people at will by the thousands. Francis met with men who have literally enslaved an entire nation for decades.........has he condemned them? The answer is NO he hasn't.
Why if Francis always more than ready to be judge, jury, and executioner for any person or institution that believes in traditional values?
What is the greater evil.........murdering innocent, helpless, unborn children by the millions or sending back foreigners who entered this country illegally back to their own country? What is the greater evil....... a Capitalist society or is it recognizing a sodomite relationship as a marriage? Sodomy which St. Paul is a degradation. This pope has serious problems. SERIOUS! Silence about his words and actions is to be complicit in what he is doing. It's a scandal.
And since when does the media give a dam what a pope has to say about politics. I thought they believed in separation of Church and State.
It would be for the best if the Holy father would cease giving these impromptu, extemporaneous interviews. At least he did state that "Abortion is never the lesser evil, it’s a crime". Abortion is distinct as a moral issue from that of immigration policy, with the determination of the latter having prudentiality in what is decided as the best course or option. While from a moral standpoint, our common link to and obligation to assist other human beings must be weighed heavily into such decisions, it must be acknowledged that the state has its legitimate responsibilities to those it serves.
The Pope also said:"When it comes to gay marriage, he upholds the Catechism, the official compendium of Church teaching".
Let us keep in mind that the Holy Truth of God which is in Magisterial teaching, Holy Scripture, and the Catechism, has not been amended or abolished, and is still in effect, as it always will be.
Where was the condemnation for Catholic Trudeau ushering in euthanasia in Canada, prohibiting candidates and MP's to hold a pro-life position? Is he a Christian?
Where is the condemnation for the most pro-abortion President in U.S. history who stood by whilst Christians were slaughtered in Iraq and Syria? Is he a Christian?
What about the Castro brothers, Catholic and Jesuit educated, murderers, torturers and thieves. Where is the condemnation?
Why are there guards? Why are there locks? Why are there banks?
It's not because of the people who follow in the footsteps of Christ, it is because of the people who may deviate from those steps.
Perhaps those footsteps of Christ are better served in one's own community where they are most needed.
When news of Pope Francis' Donald Trump-related remarks had broken, I listened here and there to several local and national conservative radio talk shows. I had counted on the following:
1. Vicious anti-Catholicism would surface among non-Catholic hosts and callers on said shows.
2. Self-identified Catholics on said shows would demonstrate ignorance in regard to Catholic Social Teaching.
It didn't take long on the shows before the Republican Trump supporters, both Catholic and non-Catholic, portrayed His Holiness Pope Francis as a "communist", "socialist", who hates capitalism, which, according to said hosts and callers, is "great".
I heard several self-identified non-Catholic callers trash Pope Francis' comment, insist that the Pope is a communist and fraud as "the Vatican" is loaded with gold and precious items that could be sold to help poor people. That old anti-Catholic ruse reared its ugly head.
Catholic hosts and callers (self-identified) displayed their ignorance in regard to Catholic Social Teaching as they insisted that the Pope's comments on economic and social issues "prove" that he is a "communist".
I couldn't care less about the Republican and Democratic parties. But the problem is with many Republican Catholics is that they identify more with Republican values than Catholic Social Teaching.
Time and again, Popes, bishops, and priests who defend and promote Catholic Social Teaching are accused by conservative Republican Catholics as "socialists" or "communists".
I understand as to why a non-Catholic may not grasp Catholic Social Teaching. In their ignorance, they view Pope Francis as a "communist". But how is it possible that so many Republican Catholics fail to grasp the ancient Catholic Social Teachings that Pope Francis has espoused from the beginning of his Pontificate?
Anyway, another Papal press conference has unleashed tremendous controversy within and without the Church. I am certain that the Holy See will "clarify" the Pope's comments in question. Rome will also clarify the Pope's remarks about contraception.
What a disaster.
Pax.
Mark Thomas
Anonymous at 5:355 . . . you don't get it. Conservative American white men have been exempt from the "Judge not" command for the past 30 years. In fact, not only may we judge them . . . they're the only people who are going to hell.
This pope needs a psychological evaluation!
Pelosi's Ghost, if you are able, please respond to Vox Cantoris and Anonymous. I know St. Antonin Scalia would agree with them
TJM - Sorry, trying to shift my attention away from you is futile. Have a nice day.
It is really bizarre that some would introduce Hilary Clinton, Justin Trudeau, and other politicians (as despicable as they may be) into this debate. It was Mr Trump that first started this row by insulting the pope and Catholics, if not all Mexicans, for wanting to celebrate Mass near the (new) American border, not the other politicians. (The old American border saw Texas and other large lands as part of Mexico).
In fairness to His Holiness Pope Francis, one news media outlet after another has failed to emphasize the Pope's final sentence in his comments about Donald Trump. Pope Francis concluded his response in question with the following statement: "I say only that this man is not Christian *******if******* he has said things like that…and in this I give the benefit of the doubt."
"...if he has said things like that". "...if..."
Therefore, Pope Francis acted in unison with #2478 of the CCC. 2478 reads: "To avoid rash judgment, everyone should be careful to interpret insofar as possible his neighbor's thoughts, words, and deeds in a favorable way: Every good Christian ought to be more ready to give a favorable interpretation to another's statement than to condemn it."
But let's pretend that Donald Trump said things about illegal immigration that rendered him a non-Christian. As compared to Donald Trump, where does support for such Culture of Death practices as abortion, contraception, and homosexual unions leave a great many "Christians" with whom Rome participates and praises in the name of the Ecumenical Movement?
For example, the Episcopal Church last year supported the evil practice of homosexual unions. If one can lose one's Christianity so easily in regard to the question of illegal immigration, then how is possible to remain Christian while supporting homosexual unions?
If Donald Trump isn't a Christian due to his stance on illegal immigration, then were does that leave Protestants (and, for that matter, Catholics), whom we accept as Christians, who support the great "evil" (Pope Francis's word) and "crime" (Pope Francis' word) of abortion?
Pax.
Mark Thomas
The problem is the manner in which this Pope takes questions. Pope Benedict did interviews on his flights too, but questions were submitted ahead of time. Therefore there were any unneeded bombshells with off-the-cuff responses.
Catholics today are cafeteria style Catholics and conservatives are equally as bad as liberals. Most Catholics today use the pill regardless. And most of these using the pill don't think there is a thing wrong with it. So what the pope said is a non issue although it aids and abets those who use the pill or on the fence about it. I think we will get a clarification on this just as Pope Benedict had to clarify is statement about a male prostitute with aids at least having the common decency to use a condom. Remember the firestorm that caused among conservatives?
The pope allowed himself to be dragged into American politics by a reporter who would not ask the same question but framing it in the context of Hilary Clinton who is pro-choice and thinks there is nothing wrong with abortion all the way to the ninth month to include the use of partial birth abortion! The blindness of reporters in this regard and the pope's failure to make a similar connection to another candidate with uncatholic view is stunning.
Fr. McDonald, with all due respect I reject your moral equivalency argument. Conservatives accept the Faith, liberals do not. End of discussion.
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