Pope Francis labeled Donald Trump’s migrant deportations as a “major crisis” on Tuesday, drawing a criticism from the US president’s border czar, who advised the pontiff to “stick to the Catholic Church.” In a letter to US bishops, Francis, 88, stated that deporting those who had fled their home countries in hardship “damages the dignity” of the migrants and may leave many vulnerable and defenceless. “I exhort all the faithful of the Catholic Church, and all men and women of goodwill, not to give in to narratives that discriminate against and cause unnecessary suffering to our migrant and refugee brothers and sisters,” he wrote in an email. The Vatican published the letter, prompting a fast response from the Trump White House.

“I wish he’d stick with the Catholic Church and fix that and leave border enforcement to us,” the president’s border czar, Tom Homan, told reporters. “He wants to attack us for protecting our borders? He has a wall around the Vatican, does he not?… We cannot build a wall around the United States. Homan also stated that he is a “lifelong Catholic”.

The tiny Vatican City state is located in the heart of Rome, surrounded by a high wall with gates guarded by the pontiff’s Swiss Guard. ‘Ends poorly.’ Throughout his ten years as head of the Catholic Church, Francis has regularly advocated migrants’ rights, pushing world leaders to be more open to those escaping poverty and violence. And, as Trump returned to the White House last month, he cautioned that the Republican plan to deport millions of undocumented immigrants would be a “calamity.” “I have closely followed the major crisis that is taking place in the United States with the initiation of a programme of mass deportations,” the Argentine pontiff wrote Tuesday. He acknowledged “the the poorest and most marginalised,” he continued.

He added: “This does not impede the development of a policy that regulates orderly and legal migration. However, this development cannot come about through the privilege of some and the sacrifice of others

.”He went on to say, “This does not hamper the formulation of a policy governing orderly and legal migration. However, this progress cannot be achieved via the privilege of few and the sacrifice of others.” “What is built on the basis of force, and not on the truth about the equal dignity of every human being, begins badly and will end badly.” Francis has already denounced Trump’s anti-migrant policy. In February 2016, when asked about the then-US presidential candidate’s attitude, the pope said: “Anyone, whoever he is, who only wants to build walls rather than bridges is not a Christian.” Last year, Francis made an unusual entry into the US election season, calling extreme anti-migrant attitudes “madness” and criticizing right-wing US election season to call harsh anti-migrant attitudes “madness” and criticise right-wing US Catholic figures for overly conservative stances.

In May 2017, during his first term, Trump was welcomed at the Vatican for a half-hour meeting.