Trump softens stand against Pope after US-Mexico wall row

Washington, Feb 19: Hours after calling Pope Francis's explosive remarks against him "disgraceful", Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump in a damage-control move appeared to have mellowed down his outburst saying he does not "like fighting with Pope".

The pontiff in a criticism of the controversial real- estate tycoon had said that Trump cannot claim to be a Christian and slammed his comments on immigration in particular building a wall along the US-Mexico border.

Trump, 69, in a swift reaction had fired back at the Pope calling Francis's remarks "disgraceful" but later softened his stand on the Catholic leader. "I don't like fighting with the Pope, actually.

I don't think this is a fight. I think he said something much softer than was originally reported by the media. I think that he heard one side of the story, which is probably by the Mexican government," Trump said.

"I have a lot of respect for the Pope. I think he's got a lot of personality. He's a very different kind of a guy, and I think he's doing a very good job. He's a lot of energy," Trump said at a townhall organised by CNN in South Carolina. Pope's comment had come in an interaction with reporters travelling on his plane on his way back to Vatican from Mexico where he visited this week.

"A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian," Pope Francis had told reporters. "Thank God he said I was a politician, because Aristotle defined the human person as 'animal politicus.' So at least I am a human person. As to whether I am a pawn - well, maybe, I don't know.

I'll leave that up to your judgment and that of the people," said the 79-year-old leader of 1.2 billion Catholics. Trump late last night said: "I would say that I think he was very much misinterpreted, and I also think he was given false information.

If he would have heard our side from people that live in the United States?" But earlier in the day he had called Pope's comment "disgraceful." "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," Trump had said.

He said he was surprised to see the comment from the Pope. "I didn't think it was a good thing for him to say, frankly. He was talking about the border. I'm very strong on border security. We are talking about building a wall. We're gonna build a wall, and Mexico's gonna pay for the wall, and that's the way it is," Trump had said.

PTI