Despite Criticism of Pope, Donald Trump Questioned Rival's Christianity

ABC ^ | Feb 18, 2016, 2:55 PM ET | EVAN MCMURRY

[SoConPubbie]

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump reacted strongly to Pope Francis' criticism of his immigration policies as "not Christian" this afternoon, calling Francis' questioning of his faith "disgraceful."

But today's battle comes after Trump himself has spent days repeatedly questioning the faith of his biggest rival, Ted Cruz.

"I've never seen anybody that lied as much as Ted Cruz," Trump said at a press conference Monday. "And he goes around saying he's a Christian. I don't know, you're going to have to really study that."

At a Tuesday rally in North Augusta, South Carolina, Trump said Cruz "holds up the Bible and then he lies about so many things."

- - - Snip - - -

All this followed a tweet from last Friday wondering about Cruz's evangelicalism:

How can Ted Cruz be an Evangelical Christian when he lies so much and is so dishonest?- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 12, 2016

Pope Francis criticized the Republican candidate in a statement Thursday morning at the culmination of his trip to Mexico. Informed of some of the rhetoric Trump has used regarding immigrants and his proposal to build a wall across the U.S.'s southern border, Francis said Trump's actions were "not Christian."

"A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian," Francis said. "This is not in the gospel."

Trump responded moments after the pope's comments were released. "No leader, especially a religious leader, should have the right to question another man's religion or faith," Trump said in a written statement.

[SoConPubbie]

	"If we must have an enemy at the head of Government, let it be one whom we can oppose, and for whom we are not responsible, who will not involve our party in the disgrace of his foolish and bad measures." - Alexander Hamilton "We don't intend to turn the Republican Party over to the traitors in the battle just ended. We will have no more of those candidates who are pledged to the same goals as our opposition and who seek our support. Turning the Party over to the so-called moderates wouldn’t make any sense at all." -- President Ronald Reagan "A thing moderately good is not so good as it ought to be. Moderation in temper is always a virtue; but moderation in principle is always a vice." - Thomas Paine 1792 "It does not take a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority, keen on setting brushfires of freedom in the minds of men." - Samuel Adams "If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or your arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen." - Samuel Adams " Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost." - John Quincy Adams

[SoConPubbie]

What a complete and utter hypocrite Donald Trump is!

[SoConPubbie]

    CRUZ or LOSE!

[Travis McGee]

[PA-RIVER]

Silly Trump, Canadians are Christians too.

[stockpirate]

Those sniffing the Cruz Glue will try to make it sound like the same issue.

But it’s not, Trump isn’t the peader of the largest Catholic church on the planet, el popeo is.

[DrewsDad]

Here you go:

Donald Trump compares Ben Carson's 'pathological temper' to 'child molesting'

Trump ridicules Carson';s Christian conversion: Give me a break

Trump: Not Sorry for Attack on Carson's Adventist Faith

Trump: Just Remember That Not Too Many Evangelicals Come Out of Cuba

Donald Trump on God and Forgiveness

[TexasCajun]

"And I always say, and I say it with a smile, not too many evangelicals come out of Cuba, where you have Ted," Mr. Trump said. "And I don't say it with a smile, [because] I don't know. I'm not [going to] question anybody's faith."

[The Iceman Cometh]

[uncitizen]

Trump said the head of a religion shouldn’t question people’s faith. Not that any layman can’t.

[RginTN]

Lol, trump getting the taste of his own medicine! I like it...lololol.

[St_Thomas_Aquinas]

-—What a complete and utter hypocrite Donald Trump is!-—

Nothing matters. Only that he’s the (billionaire) outsider.

His weakness is in the head-to-head matchup with Cruz which he is losing by 16 points.

This is why Trump is pushing his kook lawsuits.

Everything depends on candidates dropping out before Super Tuesday.

[Georgia Girl 2]

Donald is right. The Pope already said about gays “who am I to judge?” so same thing with who’s a Christian. Who is he to judge or rather know?

[catnipman]

Full, unedited, statement by Donald J. Trump.

Donald J. Trump Response to the Pope

If and when the Vatican is attacked by ISIS, which as everyone knows is ISIS’s ultimate trophy, I can promise you that the Pope would have only wished and prayed that Donald Trump would have been President because this would not have happened. ISIS would have been eradicated unlike what is happening now with our all talk, no action politicians.

The Mexican government and its leadership has made many disparaging remarks about me to the Pope, because they want to continue to rip off the United States, both on trade and at the border, and they understand I am totally wise to them. The Pope only heard one side of the story - he didn’t see the crime, the drug trafficking and the negative economic impact the current policies have on the United States. He doesn’t see how Mexican leadership is outsmarting President Obama and our leadership in every aspect of negotiation.

For a religious leader to question a person’s faith is disgraceful. I am 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. No leader, especially a religious leader, should have the right to question another man’s religion or faith. They are using the Pope as a pawn and they should be ashamed of themselves for doing so, especially when so many lives are involved and when illegal immigration is so rampant.

[dynoman]

So Ted’s lying, misrepresenting, and status quo gutter politics is the Christian thing to do??

Cool.

[dynoman]

[PA-LU Student]

Move Along Nothing to see here...... Don’t look behind the Curtain.

[demkicker]

Great links - thanks for the reminders of Trump’s hypocrisy, but I fear it may be too late. Sadly, Trump’s dust up with the Pope will probably give him a bump. :-(

[BOBWADE]

Somebody needs to make a meme of Mr Trump standing in front of the Vatican aquarium Mr Francis tear down this wall similar to Ronald Reagan and mr. Gorbachev

[dynoman]

Seven lies and misrepresentations in under three minutes;

Lie 1 - Pro-abortion and supporting partial birth abortion.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=RHgqFQ85uZs#t=197

Lie 2 - Trump is calling for the same socialized medicine as Sanders
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=RHgqFQ85uZs#t=216

Lie 3 - pushed partial birth abortion
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=RHgqFQ85uZs#t=239

Lie 4 - Even as a candidate Donald says we need to have full on socialized medicine
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=RHgqFQ85uZs#t=298

Lie 5 - at the debates he said we ought to have socialized medicine like Canada and Scotland.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=RHgqFQ85uZs#t=302

Lie 6 - If you as a republican don’t support socialized medicine you are heartless.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=RHgqFQ85uZs#t=312

Lie 7 - If you want to see Bernie sanders style of socialized medicine Trump is your guy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=RHgqFQ85uZs#t=335