Pope Francis said that President Trump should reconsider his decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program if he considers himself to be “pro-life.”
“The President of the United States presents himself as pro-life and if he is a good pro-lifer, he understands that family is the cradle of life and its unity must be protected,” Francis said, according to CNN.
Francis made the comments during a press conference Monday as he returned from a trip to Colombia, where he had called for others to defend the rights of immigrants.
{mosads}The pope said he was unfamiliar with the specifics of the program, but that he hoped Trump could reverse his decision to end the protections that prevent the deportation of undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as minors.
“I think this law comes not from parliament but from the executive,” Francis said. “If that is so, I am hopeful that it will be re-thought.”
DACA was enacted by President Obama in 2012.
Francis also called for climate change deniers to change their stance on the topic, comments that came as Hurricane Irma became the second major hurricane to strike the U.S. in recent weeks.
“Whoever denies it has to go to the scientists and ask them,” Francis said. “They speak very clearly, scientists are precise.
“Then they decide, and history will judge those decisions.”
Francis has criticized Trump over his stance on immigration before, saying last year that Trump is “not Christian” if he wants to build a border wall between the U.S. and Mexico.
Trump fired back, calling Francis’s comments “disgraceful.”