[ by Charles Cameron — happy to be a spectator at this particular game of ping pong ]
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The Pope serves:
Pope says Trump 'not Christian,' Trump calls comment 'disgraceful' https://t.co/mAl90B9Yfv
— Reuters Top News (@Reuters) February 18, 2016
Trump returns the serve:
Trump says Pope will have "wished and prayed" I was president if ISIS attacks Vatican: https://t.co/zcC2hDbAZx https://t.co/CxBA9r4FnH
— ABC News (@ABC) February 18, 2016
**
Here’s an excerpt from Emma Green‘s account of the point-counterpoint in a piece titled Pope, Trump, Decline to Turn Other Cheek at The Atlantic:
“A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian. This is not in the gospel,†he [Pope Francis] said, according to CNN.
Trump immediately hit back. “If and when the Vatican is attacked by ISIS, which as everyone knows is ISIS’s ultimate trophy,†he said in a statement on his website, “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.â€
It is perhaps noteworthy that one of the Bishop of Rome’s many titles is Supreme Pontiff, a pontiff being a bridge-builder. Robert Frost, on the other hand, only says, “Good fences make good neighbours.”
**
Dan Scavino, from the Trump camp:
Amazing comments from the Pope- considering Vatican City is 100% surrounded by massive walls. pic.twitter.com/g3iVLDVGe5
— Dan Scavino (@DanScavino) February 18, 2016
And from the Islamic State magazine, Dabiq, supporting Trump:
Inside the magazine, the words of Sheikh Adnani are repeated:
We will conquer your Rome, break your crosses, and enslave your women, by the permission of Allah, the Exalted.
OTOH:
http://t.co/exYqYgpXeQ Swiss Guard: We are ready to defend Pope from ISIS #Vatican #PopeFrancis #ISIS pic.twitter.com/uqd6WZN63l
— Catholic News Agency (@cnalive) February 24, 2015
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Then there’s the always quotable Hend Amry, who puts the question to us all in the form of a DoubleQuote:
Pick a side. pic.twitter.com/UuGtsEBw5D
— Hend Amry (@LibyaLiberty) February 18, 2016
And here’s another DQ, this one from Mike O’Loughlin:
Trump: "I'm a good Christian." Pope Francis: "I am a sinner." https://t.co/UJ76YQTl6t
— Michael O'Loughlin (@MikeOLoughlin) January 26, 2016
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Finally — finally! — there’s always this to consider, from the New York Times of December 28th last year:
Americans named President Obama and Hillary Clinton as the most admired man and woman in the world, according to a Gallup poll released on Monday, with Donald Trump tying Pope Francis as the second most admired man.
We do indeed live in interesting times.