Pope unwise to Wade into US Politics

THE POPE WAS UNWISE TO WADE INTO US POLITICS

+Republican  residential Front runner Donald Trump has during his campaign repeatedly promised to build a wall between the US & Mexico in order to ensure control of the US Southern Border.

Today, the Pope visited the US Mexico Border. Afterwards, made the comment that anyone who wished to build a wall between people instead of a bridge was not a proper Christian.

In my view it was probably unwise of the Pope to allow his host to take him to a place which is presently one of the most controversial topics in the US election at present. Uncontrolled immigration into the US, particularly from Mexico, and the notoriously insecure border between the US and Mexico are subjects on which most US politicians have strong views, and this certainly applies to the Presidential candidates from both parties.

Furthermore, the Pope was wrong to express a view that anyone who builds or favours the building of a wall on a the US / Mexico border is not a Christian.

As a matter of principle, there is nothing wrong with a sovereign state wishing to have a secure border and to seek to exercise proper control of those wishing to enter the a country through proper border posts.

The UK, for example, is not party to the Schengen Agreement in the European Community and it exercises strict control of those entering the UK at its border posts.

The absence of such control has in fact presented the remainder of Europe with enormous problems during the present refugee crises. Many European countries are no doubt envious of the UK's present position where it retains control of how many refugees it will accept.

Some people may favour a world where there are no borders and others may favour strict border controls. There is nothing particularly un-Christian about the latter position.

At the same time, Donald Trump's remarks that the Pope's comment was disgraceful is uncalled for. He ought instead to have used the word unfortunate or regrettable to describe the Pontiff's remark.

Even Jeb Bush, after declining to comment upon the Pope's remark, went on to say he favoured an effective US / Mexico border which might require a Wall.  

If the Pope wished to comment about Trump's Christianity, he ought perhaps to have referred to the host of other derogatory remarks Donald Trump made regarding Mexicans & Muslims, many of which don't immediately strike one as being particularly Christian.


Siegfried Walther 2016

Also: Link to FBI v Apple. Court no power to make the Order it did. http://siegfriedwalther.blogspot.co.za/2016/02/apple-v-fbi-court-no-power-to-order.html

+Donald Trump

+Jeb Bush

+The Pope Benedict XVI Fan Club

+US Election