The appetite for all things Donald Trump led some newsrooms to claim that Pope Francis’ weekend address in Philadelphia included a rebuke of the 2016 front-runner’s immigration platform.
But the pope made no reference to Trump this weekend, either directly or indirectly, which means all the headlines stating otherwise are either misinformed or intentionally misleading “clickbait.”
The U.K.’s Daily Mail got the ball rolling Saturday with a verbose headline reading, “The Pope takes on Trump: Francis makes thinly-veiled swipe at The Donald as he defends Latino immigrants who came to America at ‘great personal cost’ in speech to 40,000 in Philadelphia.”
Francis’ speech in Philadelphia did indeed include remarks on immigration, but one would be hard pressed to spot the supposed “swipe” at Trump.
“I take this opportunity to thank all those … [who defend] the cause of the poor and the immigrant. All too often, those most in need of our help are unable to be heard. You are their voice, and many of you have faithfully made their cry heard,” he said.
“Among us today are members of America’s large Hispanic population, as well as representatives of recent immigrants to the United States. I greet all of you with particular affection! Many of you have emigrated to this country at great personal cost, but in the hope of building a new life,” he added. “Do not be discouraged by whatever challenges and hardships you face. I ask you not to forget that, like those who came here before you, you bring many gifts to your new nation.”
Francis implored his audience and American immigrants everywhere to be unashamed of their cultural traditions.
“Do not forget the lessons you learned from your elders, which are something you can bring to enrich the life of this American land. I repeat, do not be ashamed of what is part of you, your life blood,” he said.
“You are also called to be responsible citizens, and to contribute fruitfully to the life of the communities in which you live. I think in particular of the vibrant faith, which so many of you possess, the deep sense of family life and all those other values which you have inherited,” he added. “By contributing your gifts, you will not only find your place here, you will help to renew society from within.”
From these remarks alone, the Daily Mail somehow detected an anti-Trump jab, as if the pope were some common politician who was not-so-subtly commenting on a rival.
“Pope Francis made a thinly-veiled swipe at Donald Trump,” the website declared, adding that Francis’ “words come in direct contrast to Trump’s calls for a wall to be built along the Mexican border and for stricter controls on who can enter the U.S.”
Though Francis staked out no single policy position, and that he only called on Americans to be compassionate when considering the stories of immigrants, the Daily Mail nevertheless characterized the pope’s remarks as “a nod towards Donald Trump’s views on immigration.”
Trump stirred controversy during his campaign launch in June when he promised he’d build a wall on the Southern border to keep illegal immigrants out the country. He also accused the Mexican government of flooding the United States with criminals.
“They’re bringing drugs, they’re bringing crime,” Trump said. “They’re rapists and some, I assume, are good people, but I speak to border guards and they’re telling us what we’re getting.”
Right-wing news websites were quick to pick up the narrative set out by the Daily Mail, as many reported incorrectly that Francis had somehow gone to war with the leading GOP presidential candidate.
“Pope Francis lashes out: Praises illegal aliens while attacking Donald Trump,” read a headline on Breitbart News.
The Breitbart story, which has been aggregated from both the Daily Mail and CNN, claims incorrectly that the pope praised “illegal aliens.” Francis remarked specifically in his Philadelphia address that immigrants are called on to be “responsible citizens.”
Radio host Alex Jones’ ultra-conspiratorial news website InfoWars.com followed suit, running with the exact same headline as Breitbart.
The lesser-known Conservative Tribune went with the not-at-all-accurate: “The Pope Just Made a SICKENING Announcement About Donald Trump.”
In their defense, though, these websites are hardly the first in online media to try to marry news of Francis’ visit to the United States to Trump’s 2016 campaign.
Politico, the Hill, and the Guardian have all gone there before, and this certainly won’t be the last time that the Daily Mail combines the two headline-grabbing personalities.
