A day before the inauguration of Donald Trump as U.S. President, Pope Francis criticised his plans for an immigration crackdown when he returns to the White House on Monday.
In an interview with Italian programme Che Tempo Che Fa on Nove aired on Sunday, the pope was asked about Trump’s mass deportations plans once he returns to office.
The pope said he had not spoken to Trump since his first term in office.
He, however, said if it is true that he wants to expel undocumented migrants, “it will be a disgrace, because it makes poor unfortunates pay the price of societal imbalance.”
“This won’t do,” the 88-year-old head of the Catholic Church told Italian presenter Fabio Fazio.
“This is not how you solve things,” he added.
The relationship between Pope Francis and Trump is considered tense.
Before the presidential election in November, the pope was critical of Trump and his Democratic opponent Kamala Harris.
“They are both against life, both the one who gets rid of migrants and the one who kills babies,” referring to Harris’s support for a woman’s right to choose an abortion.
On Monday, Trump will be sworn in as the 47th president of the United States in Washington.
According to U.S. reports, he was set to sign a range of executive orders from day one, with a special focus on anti-migration measures.
