House Republican asks Catholic bishop why Vatican has a wall if pope opposes one at US border

Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., on Tuesday asked a Catholic bishop during a House subcommittee hearing about the Roman Catholic Church’s wall around its Vatican headquarters in light of Pope Francis’ recently voiced opposition to additional physical barriers on the United States’ southern border.

“Regarding the sovereignty of the church and as it relates and compares with the sovereignty of our nation, the church has been a light for the world for 2,000 years — a place of refuge, a place where a child of God could seek spiritual prosperity,” said Higgins, ranking member of the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Border Security, Facilitation, and Operations.