In yet another ideological break from the administration, Pope Francis recently said that if President Donald Trump truly is pro-life, he will rethink ending former President Obama's DACA program granting temporary amnesty to illegal aliens brought to the United States as children.
"One hopes that it is re-thought somewhat," said the pope on Sunday while answering questions on a plane returning from Colombia, according to Reuters.
"The president of the United States...presents himself as a man who is pro-life. If he is a good pro-lifer, he understands that the family is the cradle of life and you have to defend its unity," Pope Francis added.
Trump recently announced his administration will be scaling back the DACA program, saying immigration officials will no longer process incoming applications but will recognize benefits granted to already approved recipients for up to two years. Trump challenged Congress to pass a legal version of the program within the next six months, adding that such an initiative should never have been enacted by the Executive Branch in the first place.
Clashes between the president and the pope are nothing new, especially when it comes to the issue of immigration. Trump's plan for a border wall and recent push to deport undocumented aliens has earned the attention -- and the criticism -- of the Catholic leader.
Francis, who is the first Latin American pope, has been a major defender of immigrants, claiming that Trump's intentions were "not Christian."
In response, Trump fired back, saying it was "disgraceful" for the pope to question his faith based on politics.
As of yet, the president has not responded to the pope's most recent statements on his decision to scale back the DACA program.
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