Pope Francis says Trump is 'not Christian'

CIUDAD JUáREZ, Mexico, Feb. 18 (UPI) -- Pope Francis said Donald Trump was "not Christian," and Trump wasted no time in firing back, calling the pontiff "a pawn."

"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," Francis told a reporter Thursday on board the pope's plane.

The pontiff was concluding a week-long trip to Mexico.

"I say only that this man is not Christian if he said things like that. We must see if he said things in that way and in this I give the benefit of the doubt," Francis added.

The very fact that the Pope was in Mexico had already ignited Trump's ire. The real estate mogul accused the pontiff of using the trip to make a political statement.

"I don't think he understands the danger of the open border that we have with Mexico," Trump told Fox Business Network a week ago. "I think Mexico got him to do it because they want to keep the border just the way it is. They're making a fortune, and we're losing."

Francis' comments on Thursday elicited a swift response from Trump.

"No leader, especially a religious leader, should have the right to question another man's religion or faith," Trump said in a statement released moments later. "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."

Trump's plan to build a fortified wall along the United States' border with Mexico has been a cornerstone of his campaign as he seeks to take an strong stance against illegal immigration. When he announced his presidential campaign over the summer, he said immigrants from Mexico were "bringing drugs, they're bringing crime. They're rapists. And some, I assume, are good people."

Although Trump has vowed to get Mexico to pay for the wall, former Mexican President Felipe Calderon said last week "we are not going to pay any single cent for such a stupid wall, and it's going to be completely useless."