Francis to Trump: pro-lifers don’t split families
Politicians who call themselves pro-life must be pro-family and not enact policies that divide families and rob young people of a future, Pope Francis has said. Flying from Colombia to Rome on Sunday night Pope Francis was asked about President Donald Trump’s decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals programme, which allowed 800,000 young people brought to the United States illegally as children to stay in the country, working or going to school. Mr Trump announced last week that he was phasing out the programme. His decision was strongly criticised by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops. Pope Francis said he had heard of Mr Trump’s decision, but had not had time to study the details of the issue. However, he said, “uprooting young people from their families is not something that will bear fruit”. “This law, which I think comes not from the legislature, but from the executive – if that’s right, I’m not sure – I hope he rethinks it a bit,” the Pope said, “because I’ve heard the President of the United States speak; he presents himself as a man who is pro-life, a good pro-lifer. If he is a good pro-lifer, he understands that the family is the cradle of life and its unity must be defended.” Pope Francis said that people must not dash the hopes and dreams of young people or make them feel “a bit exploited”, because the results can be disastrous, leading some to turn to drugs or even suicide. Pope Francis spent about 35 minutes answering journalists’ questions and commenting on his five-day trip to Colombia. After he had answered eight questions, Greg Burke, director of the Vatican press office, told the Pope it was time to sit down because the plane was approaching an area of turbulence. The Pope went to the journalists’ section of the plane still wearing a small bandage on his left eyebrow and sporting a large bump, which had turned black and blue, on his cheek. He told them that he had been reaching out of the Popemobile to greet the people and turned suddenly. “I didn’t see the glass,” he said.
