Pope Francis Condemned By US Netizens Over Border Wall Comment On '60 Minutes'

Pope Francis' rare new interview has sparked backlash among some Americans.

The Vatican became a trending topic on X, formerly Twitter, Monday after Pope Francis expressed his views on immigration and the border wall during a sit-down with "CBS Evening News" anchor and "60 Minutes" contributing correspondent Norah O'Donnell.

The Argentina-born pope previously stood in solidarity with migrants and said governments should build bridges instead of walls. He reiterated this sentiment during the "60 Minutes" interview that aired Monday.

"Migration is something that makes a country grow," Pope Francis said.

Asked about the state of Texas' recent attempts to shut down a Catholic charity on the U.S.-Mexico border that "offers undocumented migrants humanitarian assistance," Pope Francis described it as "madness."

"Migrants sometimes suffer a lot. They suffer a lot," the 87-year-old pope said.

"The migrant has to be received. 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," he added.

After the interview aired, a number of Americans took issue with Pope Francis for commenting on the nation's migrant crisis, with some branding him as hypocritical given that the Vatican City has walls.

"Yet the Vatican has a massive wall around it," one critic wrote on X.

"I never thought I would ever say this. F**k the Pope," another X user commented.

A third person wrote: "He should absolutely mind his own business. If you believe they should be taken in, take them in yourself."

"Of course he said what he did, he isn't worried about the wall around the Vatican welcoming illegals in," another claimed.

One X user shared a video of people sleeping on the floor outside what appeared to be St. Peter's Square in Vatican City.

"In Rome, the doors of the Vatican are closed to illegal immigrants. Yet, the Pope is against the United States closing its southern border, which is full of child trafficking," the user claimed.

Pope Francis was inundated with similar comments back in 2016 after he called Donald Trump's plan to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border "not Christian."

According to CNN, though the Vatican does have walls, the Catholic Church's 110-acre sovereign state is not considered a walled city, and people are able to enter at nearly any time.

"The fortifications were built a very long time ago. This Pope didn't build them -- and he certainly didn't build them to keep out poor migrants," Catholic priest Rev. James Martin told the outlet at the time, defending Pope Francis.

The Vatican has received some asylum-seekers over the years, including 12 from Cyprus in December 2021, according to the Associated Press.

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