PHILADELPHIA (AP) – The leader of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia on Tuesday attacked GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump’s call for ending automatic citizenship for children born to immigrants living illegally in the U.S., saying the idea “plays on our worst fears and resentments.”
“Some in public life – notably, but not only, Donald Trump – have called for an end to birthright citizenship,” Archbishop Charles Chaput said in remarks prepared for a church forum that was part of the run-up of activities to a visit by Pope Francis. “This is a profoundly bad idea.”
The archbishop said he hoped immigration would be a key part of the discussions during the Vatican-sponsored World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia and the pope’s appearance during the closing weekend.
The pope has decried what he has called the “inhuman” conditions facing migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border, and encouraged frontier communities to not judge people by stereotypes but rather welcome migrants and work to end discrimination.
Without at first mentioning Trump by name, Chaput began his remarks by declaring: “At least one of our presidential candidates has already made the national immigration debate ugly with a great deal of belligerent bombast.”