Pope Francis criticizing Donald Trump

'The O'Reilly Factor' examines the Pope's comments on the Republican presidential candidate

This is a RUSH transcript from "The O'Reilly Factor," February 19, 2016. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
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ERIC BOLLING, FOX NEWS HOST: Hi, I'm Eric Bolling in for Bill O'Reilly. Thanks for watching us tonight.

We're going to get right to our top story.

Donald Trump versus the Pope. I thought I would never say those words together. After his visit to the Mexican side of the border with the United States, Pope Francis took a thinly veiled shot at Trump and Trump shot back.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

POPE FRANCIS, HOLY PONTIFF (through translator): A person who thinks only about building walls wherever they may be and not building bridges is not Christian.

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If and when the Vatican is attacked by ISIS, which as everyone knows is ISIS' ultimate trophy, I can promise you that the Pope would have only wished and prayed that Donald Trump would have been president.

He's questioning my faith. I was very surprise to see it but I am a Christian. I'm proud of it. Ok. For a religious leader to question a person's faith is disgraceful. I'm proud to be a Christian and as president, I will not allow Christianity to be consistently attacked and weakened unlike what is happening now with our current president.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLLING: Joining us now with reaction, Fox News contributor Father Jonathan Morris and from Washington Sandy Rios, director of governmental affairs at the American Family Association. Father, I'm going right to you. The Pope's a global spiritual leader.

FATHER JONATHAN MORRIS, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: He is a handful. I love him dearly. He's a handful.

BOLLING: Ok, go ahead, your thoughts?

MORRIS: You know, first of all, I think he is right. Much of what Donald Trump says about his immigration policy is unchristian. And I 100 percent agree with that, with what the Pope is -- major point the Pope is making. Deporting people. 11 million -- he is going to get rid of them. Is he is going to build a wall it's simplistic, it's unrealistic and I would say unchristian.

But I think the Pope should clarify and perhaps even apologize. My guess is that he will with one phrase -- let me just read it to make sure we get it very clear. He said then what you told me to this reporter, what I would advise to vote or not, I'm not going to tell you. But he says if he says these things that you say, this man is not Christian.

BOLLING: So he doesn't even know, he is taking this from the Mexican authorities that Donald Trump -- he is taking whatever they told them.

MORRIS: To suggest that if he said then he is not Christian I think that was a mistake. I wish he would not have said that.

BOLLING: Let me bring in Sandy. Sandy -- what do you think? Father Jon says maybe the Pope could apologize or at least clarify.

SANDY RIOS, AMERICAN FAMILY ASSOCIATION: Well, I side with Donald Trump on this. I think the Pope is wrong. I guess it kind of boils down to whether the doctrines of open borders are Christian. I think the Pope is preaching the doctrines of men and not the doctrines of god. Because the bible quite clearly teaches that if you don't take care of your own first you are worse than infidel. That's right out of the New Testament.

It also says that if you don't work, you don't eat. Certainly we are required to help the poor. But that's an individual mandate. It isn't that we rob a treasury of a nation and force people and take their money to feed the poor.

MORRIS: Sandy -- I get your point. I get your point but don't is suggest that the Pope is advocating for open borders. He has never said that. We have to stick to what he says and what he does.

RIOS: But Father -- Donald Trump is talking about building a wall and I think that's important. We have doors on our homes. The Vatican has walls. We have walls for a purpose. There is nothing unbiblical about walls.

MORRIS: Sandy -- what did the Pope say? He says if you are only talking about walls and not about bridges, that's unchristian. That is unchristian.

RIOS: Well, you know what -- that's a pithy saying, Father. But it's not scriptural.

MORRIS: You want that politicians will only talking about walls. Only talk about walls. I don't think so. The situation we're in right now --

RIOS: Well, I don't think that Donald Trump only talks about walls.

MORRIS: Well, he didn't say that he did.

RIOS: No he hasn't -- I think he has a big heart. He is just talking about protecting the country that would be the commander in chief's main objective is to make this country safe.

MORRIS: And the Pope has never said that the commander in chief should not protect the country. The Pope --

RIOS: Yes, but if you don't build a wall it's not safe.

MORRIS: The Pope is talking about a bigger issue -- Sandy. The Pope is talking about a bigger issue and that right now, there is a hypocritical situation in the United States of America. We allow and this is for both parties. We allow a porous border, and then we give a tacit invitation, the government does for people to come across the border. Why? What's the tacit invitation?

It's come over. If you get over here, you are going to get a job. But you know what? You are not going to get a real wage.

BOLLING: Let me jump in here, Father, I think in the concern is that you said we allow for open borders, a porous border, and what Donald Trump and frankly, a lot of other Republican candidates are saying put the border wall up. Secure the border. And so anyone who believes securing a border could be considered unchristian-like. By the way--

(CROSSTALK)

MORRIS: The Pope did not say that anybody who believes in a wall is unchristian. What is saying is that they are only talking about walls and not building bridges that is unchristian.

RIOS: But Father, you are always so reasonable you are defending the unreasonable here because Donald Trump is talking about enforcing the laws that we have. I agree with you. We are in lawless times. We have a president ignoring the law, we have immigration, border patrol who are just beside themselves because they can't enforce the law. We must enforce our laws, we must build a fence. We have to protect our own citizens, our own children need jobs. Our own families need jobs. We have to help people as we can.

MORRIS: To be clear, Donald Trump is not only saying we should enforce the laws, I think we should. He is saying something more. He is saying I will get rid of all 11 or 12 million illegals that are in the country right now.

BOLLING: Father, hold on -- that is the law though, Father. I mean, when they come here illegally.

MORRIS: Did they break the law? Yes. But deciding I'm going to take 12 million and immediately deport them, that's a whole another level.

RIOS: He didn't say that.

BOLLING: That's the way the law is written that if you are here illegally and you get caught, you are going to be deported.

Now President Obama had said we won't deport, literally millions who are here illegally. The law says if you are caught here, you go back.

MORRIS: Yes, I agree with that. Yes -- go ahead Sandy.

RIOS: And I have to say that people that come across the border illegal are breaking the law. There is no excuse for that I don't care what woos them over here. They must know they are breaking the law.

And certainly South American families know what family means, they take care of their families well. They cannot begrudge us ---

(CROSSTALK)

MORRIS: Our government has been saying we got this law but guess what, it's not really a law.

RIOS: Not everybody is saying that.

MORRIS: Come on over, we're going to give you jobs.

RIOS: Our president is saying that you know that that's how we have to get him out.

MORRIS: Right. But, unfortunately, it's not just this president.

BOLLING: All right.

MORRIS: It's been happening for decades.

BOLLING: Guys, clearly a heated debate. Father and Sandy -- thank you so much.

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