Trump’s plan for mass deportation of migrants is a ‘disgrace’

The leader of the Catholic Church worldwide, Pope Francis, said that Donald Trump’s plan to deport illegal immigrants to the United States would be a shame if it were to happen.

Speaking to an Italian TV program from his Vatican residence, Francis said that if the plans go ahead, Mr Trump will create a “poor disaster that has no consequences”.

“It’s not good. That’s not how you solve problems,” he said.

Trump has promised to start deporting more undocumented immigrants in US history immediately after taking office.

In a message to Trump shared on Monday, Pope Francis greeted him warmly and encouraged him to lead a society without hatred, discrimination or discrimination and to promote “peace and harmony among people”.

The Pope is known to keep the issue of immigration alive. At a public forum last August, he said that “systematically working in every way to deport migrants” was a “great sin”.

In 2016, before the first presidential election won by Trump, Pope Francis said “a person who only thinks about building walls… and not bridges, is not a Christian”.

Regarding Trump’s promise to build a wall along the Mexican border to stop immigration to the United States, Francis said: “I say this man is not a Christian if he says that. So I will give him the benefit of the doubt.”

Francis and Trump later met when Trump and his family visited Rome in 2017.

Ahead of the 2024 US presidential election, the Pope refused to say whether people should vote for Trump or his rival Kamala Harris, only urging people to choose the “lesser evil” according to their conscience.

In an interview on Sunday evening, Francis also touched on the issue of immigration in Europe, saying that there was “a lot of violence” and that everyone has “the right to stay at home and the right to move”.

The Pope added that some southern European countries that receive large numbers of immigrants “don’t have children and need workers”.

“In some countries, there are entire villages that are empty. A good, well-thought-out immigration policy would also help countries like Italy and Spain,” he said.

In another part of the discussion, Francis was asked about the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East and said he did not know why peace was so difficult.

“I don’t know why… it’s like there’s a worldwide obsession with self-destruction,” the Pope said.

Francis, 88, has held the position since 2013, when he was appointed to succeed Pope Benedict XVI.