Practice What You Preach, Pope Francis

Pope Francis sent a letter to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) regarding the Trump administration’s attempts to remove illegal alien criminals from our country. The letter was filled with the usual Marxist left progressive talking points like: The Holy family were refugees when they traveled to Egypt (which is technically inaccurate as they were considered Roman citizens and were traveling within the Roman Empire); illegal aliens are not criminals (although they are, and many have committed heinous crimes like smuggling illicit drugs, engaging in human trafficking, and committing murder and rape); and that fragile and vulnerable people should be protected (does this include MS-13 or Tren da Aragua gang members?).

The Pope also muses, “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.” This letter is highly puzzling and directly contradictory to anyone who has seen the new entry policies the Vatican published just a few short months ago.

Catholic News Agency (CNA) reported in January that the Vatican increased the penalties for anyone illegally entering areas not designated as “free,” primarily located behind ancient towering walls. In this case, the pope is to be commended for protecting those in his charge. Below are some of those penalties:

• Fines of 10,000 to 25,00 euros ($10,200 – $25,700 in US currency)
• Prison sentences anywhere from one to four years
• Additional penalties for those who enter by evading border controls and/or security systems or who use fraud, violence, or threats to gain entry
• If the illegal enters using a vehicle, firearm, disguise, or with other people, penalties can be substantially increased
• Those entering with expired permits will be fined anywhere from 2,000 to 5,000 euros ($2,060 to $5,145 in US currency)
• Anyone convicted of entering illegally will be banned from entering the Vatican for a 15-year period
• If the offender attempts entry before the 15-year ban has expired, a prison sentence of one to five years may be imposed

Hey Pope Francis – do you mind if we use this set of common-sense deterrents to help stem the millions of illegal aliens who are breaking our laws and coming into the United States? Or are these protections only for you and the “holy” people who reside in the Vatican? Don’t all people living in a sovereign nation deserve to be protected from interlopers and criminals?

It sure seems like your policies are built on force and don’t honor the dignity of every human being. If you are not willing for the United States to follow your lead, then you need to, in the words of Ronald Reagan, “Tear down this wall!” and also rescind the harsh punishments for illegal entry into the Vatican. As the old saying goes, what is good for the goose is good for the gander.

Clearly, what this situation demonstrates is the deafening hypocrisy of the pontiff and his Marxist-leaning shills. In other words, “Rules for thee, but not for me.” How much of the Pope’s criticism of the Trump Administration is tied up in the loss of funding from USAID will be fodder for another post, but in the meantime, ruminate on this – the Catholic Church and its NGO Catholic Relief Services (CRS) have received $4.6 billion from the federal government from 2013-2022. It seems obvious that Pope Francis’ letter may be more about keeping the gravy train flowing than protecting the vulnerable. When the truth comes out, this may indeed end very badly for the Catholic Church.

Here’s my advice for Pope Francis: Practice what you preach, stay in your lane, and start doing what you are supposed to—uphold the morals and dogmas of the faith, evangelize people of all nations, and save souls. That’s what Catholics worldwide need right now, not another corrupt, bloviating politician.