Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson on Thursday responded to the comments made by Pope Francis about Donald Trump, saying that “enforcing our immigration laws is not in contradiction with love and kindness.”
“I have spoken often about the need for faith and compassion in America,” Carson said in a statement. “However, enforcing our immigration laws is not in contradiction with love and kindness.”
Asked about Trump’s immigration polices, which include building a wall along the Mexico border, Pope Francis said: “A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian. This is not the gospel.”
Trump responded, by saying: “For a religious leader to question a person’s faith is disgraceful.”
“The pope only heard one side of the story — he didn’t see the crime, the drug trafficking and the negative economic impact the current policies have on the United States,” Trump said of the pope’s recent visit to Mexico.
Carson, a former neurosurgeon, responded to the back-and-forth in a statement: “As Christians, we are called to love our neighbors. But as a nation, we must also defend our sovereignty and security. Ending human trafficking into America can save lives and protect the weakest of society from exploitation; and working with Mexico and other Central and South American nations to improve their own governments and economies is a greater service to others than opening our borders.”