Hellobee Boards

I'll never be team Trump. With that said, I can't really judge a person's heart and true relationship with God.

I am NOT Catholic but I love the Pope! I just think he is a truly awesome guy that I wish was my friend. Best thing that could have happened to the Catholic Church.

And I loathe Trump.

So it's no contest!

Ok... I am not a trump supporter at all but I am watching the CNN town hall as we speak with Anderson Cooper and Donald Trump and it isn't nearly as bad as the media is making it out to be (as usual) . That article is taking snippets of what he said to make it look worse. (again, big shocker) What he said as a whole wasn't negative toward the Pope at all, he actually complemented him and had a lot of respect for him but stood by wanting to secure the boarder.

The media is more annoying than any of these politicians.

@Happygal: This.

@Mrs.Pinecone316: To be fair, Trump's initial remarks in response to the Pope were arrogant, rude, and ridiculous. I understand he took a more conciliatory approach at the town hall but his initial response was completely out of line.

Fair enough to those saying one can't possibly judge a person's true religious faith; however, actions speak louder than words and a lot of his actions (or intended actions) are completely at odds with the teachings of the Christian faith. So if you don't want your Christianity questioned, best start acting like a true Christian, and until then, totally fair game to have others questioning your faith! Kind of like Isis who claim they are acting in the name of Islam - not one single thing they are doing is in accordance with the teachings of the Koran, so yes, we (the general we) are totally questioning their true faith and rightfully so. Again, actions speak louder than words - saying you are something means absolutely nothing if your actions don't support those words.

@JenGirl: Same! The Pope is awesome!

Considering Trump is the antithesis to what Christianity is, Team Pope.

I think the full transcript of the q+a is important, so here it is, in case anyone is interested:

Phil Pullella, Reuters: Today, you spoke very eloquently about the problems of immigration. On the other side of the border, there is a very tough electoral battle. One of the candidates for the White House, Republican Donald Trump, in an interview recently said that you are a political man and he even said that you are a pawn, an instrument of the Mexican government for migration politics. Trump said that if he’s elected, he wants to build 2,500 kilometers of wall along the border. He wants to deport 11 million illegal immigrants, separating families, etcetera. I would like to ask you, what do you think of these accusations against you and if a North American Catholic can vote for a person like this?

Pope Francis: Thank God he said I was a politician because Aristotle defined the human person as 'animal politicus.' At least I am a human person. As to whether I am a pawn, well, maybe, I don't know. I'll leave that up to your judgment and that of the people. And then, a person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian. This is not in the Gospel. As far as what you said about whether I would advise to vote or not to vote, I am not going to get involved in that. I say only that this man is not Christian if he has said things like that. We must see if he said things in that way and in this I give the benefit of the doubt.

I don't know that the pope was judging Trump's overall relationship with God-- there are many ways to have a relationship with God (or Gods, really) that don't involve being a Christian. But to his point, building a wall to keep out people in need does seem pretty antithetical to what Christ would do, so in that sense I agree with him. I interpreted it as anyone who wants to do that is not truly a follower of Christ, not has no relationship with God whatsoever. I do think it's easy for nuanced meanings to get lost in translation with the pope's comments, too.

ETA: I also saw someone in my Facebook feed saying these comments seem unfair because the pope hasn't said anything about Catholic politicians who do things against the church's recommendations. But I think that's ridiculous. They specifically asked him about Trump and the immigration issue. It's not like he brought it up himself.

Judging from the situation, I don't agree with the Pope saying Trump isn't Christian. But I'm still team Pope in general!

@honeybear: thanks for posting that. I heard it explained more in depth on the radio, but seeing it written is helpful.

@lawbee11: I love that! A lot of it reminds me of the way my family views their faith, although they are more overtly religious than Bernie. Especially this: "faith focused first and foremost on justice for all in this world rather than salvation for some in the next."

@lawbee11 great article! Thanks for sharing!

I think the difference in the Pope's language that the general public is not picking up on is "not Christian" (Adjective) vs "not a Christian" (noun). In my reading of it, the Pope isn't questioning religious determination but more his actions. If you look up the definition of Christian is more about being open, humane and decent. I have to agree with the Pope on this one. Trump is very pigheaded and a bully to others. None of that is Christian. But either way it doesn't mean that he's not a Christian.

@Ree723: I completely agree with you! The Pope said that this not what the gospel teaches. That's similar to when a Jihadist terrorist group commits a barbaric act in the name of Islam - yet that's not what Islam teaches. I don't think it's judging a persons faith, but moreso speaking up for the faith all together.

@T.H.O.U.: In the Pope's defense, he wasn't alive when the Vatican's walls were built and it would be a huge waste of money to take them down at this point. It's a historical landmark.

The Pope is very progressive. As a Catholic, I love that about him.