Don't build walls, Pope Francis says
Pope Francis said on Wednesday that society should
not create "walls but bridges" to encourage good relations among
people, adding it was wrong to be spiteful and say "I'll make you pay for
that".
U.S. President Donald Trump has promised to build
a wall on the border with Mexicoand have the Mexicans pay for it. The
Argentine-born pontiff did not mention Trump or that specific wall in his
comments.
Speaking at his weekly general audience, Francis spoke
of a Christian calling "to not raise walls but bridges, to not respond to
evil with evil, to overcome evil with good." He then improvised and added: "A
Christian can never say 'I'll make you pay for that'. Never! That is not a
Christian gesture. An offense is overcome with forgiveness, by living in peace
with everyone."
Last year, in response to an answer about then-candidate
Trump's views on immigration and his intention to build a wall on the border
with Mexico, Francis said a man with those views is "not
Christian".
He said in an interview last month that he would not form an
opinion of Trump until he first had a chance to see specific policies the new
U.S. president would implement. As Trump
was taking office on Jan. 20, Francis sent a message urging him to be
guided by ethical values, saying he must take care of the poor and the outcast
during his time in office.
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