EL PASO, TEXAS – In a “60 Minutes” interview that aired Sunday on CBS, Pope Francis attempted to straighten out confused, Trumpy MAGA Catholics who think demonizing migrants entering USA from south of the border is Christian behavior.
Pope Francis, recognized as the leader of the Catholic Church who guides Christian policy to millions worldwide, spoke to “60 Minutes” anchor Norah O’Donnell on a range of topics in an interview on CBS Sunday night. One hot-button topic he gave guidance on is immigration into the United States from south of the border. Many angry, seething, MAGA Trump supporters who claim to love Jesus have taken the former President’s hate speech to heart and now despise migrants entering America. If you want to find out who these frightened hypocrites are, simply log into Facebook and follow your own neighbors, friends and relatives; they gleefully post the most despicable, racist memes, sometimes all day long. They get much joy clutching their loaded guns while beating down on migrants simply looking for a better life, just exactly like their own ancestors once did when they came here from Europe. Did all past white European immigrants enter USA with “documentation” and through a “legal channel” or simply come ashore and start living here?
Donald Trump, Kim Reynolds, Ashley Hinson, Kristi Noem, Greg Abbott and countless other far-right political fanatics in America have now found it fashionable to punish and treat inhumanely migrants entering our nation. While not perfect as whole, these folks are working the jobs most Americans would never do. Working the slaughterhouses, the farms, the ditches, cleaning houses – all while relegated to second-class status for fear of retribution. Yet, these elected demagogues never enact laws punishing the employers of these people – their wrath is always reserved for the “illegal” worker. The worst the employers can expect are socialist handouts to expand their businesses and a handsome tax cut. Trump, Reynolds, Hinson and the the rest simply ignore that at the same time, immigrant workers will add an extra $7 trillion to the U.S. economy within the next decade and an extra $1 trillion in federal tax revenue, and populate dying towns in the ecological wasteland that Iowa and other red states have become.
Speaking to this sinful behavior that would definitely embarrass and sadden Jesus, Pope Francis made it clear, Christians need to come back to the foundations of their faith.
“That is madness. Sheer madness. To close the border and leave them there, that is madness,” Pope Francis told “60 Minutes.” “The migrant has to be received. Then you see how you are going to deal with him. Maybe you have to send him back, I don’t know, but each case ought to be considered humanely.”
“Migration is something that makes a country grow,” the Pope continued, stating the obvious. “They say that you Irish migrated and brought the whiskey, and that the Italians migrated and brought the mafia… (laugh) It’s a joke. Don’t take it badly. But, migrants sometimes suffer a lot. They suffer a lot.” He clearly acknowledged that no group of migrants is perfect, and may even now and then commit crimes, and those persons should always be prosecuted. But all should be received and worked through the system as if Jesus himself was the immigration czar.
Pope Francis was discussing in the interview his disdain for attempts by MAGA politicians in Texas to close the Annunciation House. This charitable organization describes itself as “a volunteer organization that offers hospitality to migrants, immigrants, and refugees in El Paso, Texas. Rooted in Catholic social teaching, the volunteers of Annunciation House live simply and in community, in the same houses as the guests we serve, who are mostly from Mexico and Central America. Many of the most vulnerable here are people from south of the border, who can’t receive services from most established social agencies. They can be identified by their immigration status and the poverty, injustice, and oppression that are so much a part of their reality. These migrants and refugees have become the primary constituency of Annunciation House.”
(TOP PHOTO of Pope Francis via 60 Minutes.)
"The migrant has to be received. Thereafter you see how you are going to deal with him. Maybe you have to send him back, I don’t know, but each case ought to be considered humanely." –@Pontifex https://t.co/ynP9VPCqFC
— Migration and Refugee Services (MRS) (@MRSserves) May 20, 2024
When 60 Minutes interviewed Pope Francis, he insisted on shaking everyone's hand in the room, including our entire crew. @NorahODonnell describes the pope as warm, engaging, thoughtful, and funny. https://t.co/Kvsyf4036x pic.twitter.com/Q1obXcuWxW
— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) May 20, 2024
