Pope Francis deemed Satanic by Christian conservatives for preaching love, tolerance toward migrants
In an interview this weekend on 60 Minutes, Pope Francis said closing the U.S.-Mexico border is "madness."
That stance—along with some of the Pope's other comments—isn't going over well with some conservatives, who are likening the Pope to the devil for his comments.
Pope Francis is the head of the Catholic Church and resides in Vatican City. He rarely does interviews with press.
But in the 60 Minutes interview, the Pope was very forthcoming with his views. Regarding immigration, he said "migration is something that makes a country grow," and that closing borders and shelters for migrants is "sheer madness."
"To close the border and leave them there, that is madness. The migrant has to be received," Pope Francis said. "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."
Many Republican lawmakers have made closing the U.S.-Mexico border and decreasing immigration to the U.S. a policy priority, especially in the wake of the murder of Laken Riley, a University of Georgia student killed by an undocumented man.
While Christianity is the dominant theology among American conservatives and the pope is the ostensible voice of God on Earth, many online thought they knew better than well... God's chosen spokesperson.
"If Pope Francis is so concerned about other countries not wanting illegal aliens, then why doesn’t he start taking millions of illegal aliens into the Vatican?" right-wing influencer Rogan O'Handley tweeted. "Oh right, he’s a hypocrite."
"Pope Francis is wrong," right-wing activist Jack Posobiec posted on Truth Social. "[Illegal immigrants] are clearly not migrants, and no country has a moral duty to receive anyone from anywhere."
And while immigration has become a flashpoint in politics, the Bible's stance on treating foreigners and strangers is fairly clear. The vast majority of migrants to the U.S. are also coming from predominantly Christian nations as well.
The Pope also spoke about the criticism he has received for not being as conservative as other clergy members or his predecessors. In 2013, he said gay people should not be marginalized for their identities. The Catholic Church has traditionally not been welcoming of LGBTQ people.
On conservatism, Pope Francis called it a "suicidal attitude."
"Conservative is one who clings to something and does not want to see beyond that," the Pope said. "Because one thing is to take tradition into account, to consider situations from the past, but quite another is to be closed up inside a dogmatic box."
The remark about conservatism being a "suicidal attitude" also drew comparisons to the devil and communists by some right-wing figures and outlets.
"The Pope position has lost all meaning," right-wing influencer @WallStreetApes posted on Truth Social. "Just another satanist paid off POS."
Others on Trump's social site echoed the belief that the head of the Catholic Church is actually the devil.
"Pope Francis is nothing short of Satan in fancy dress," wrote one.
"Francis is nothing but a puppet for the globalists of the WEF. Lets be clear, the current pope is representing satan not CHRIST," wrote another.
The Gateway Pundit, a far-right news site that frequently spreads hoaxes, called Pope Francis "commie Pope" and "Red Francis."
"In his latest interview with 60 Minutes Pope Francis openly attacked conservatives," Gateway Pundit writer Jim Holt said. "Right when the world needs a strong faith leader—we got this guy. What a dangerous man."
And Sarah Fields, the President of the Texas Freedom Coalition, tweeted that the Pope's comment about conservatism really means he's evil and "here to assist with the breakdown of the nuclear family.
Ambition to break down the nuclear family was not something Pope Francis discussed in his interview.
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