Pope’s "not christian" comments about Donald Trump were ‘not personal’

Pope Francis’s suggestion that Donald Trump was “not Christian” because of his views on immigration was not a personal attack on the US Republican presidential candidate, said Vatican spokesman Fr Federico Lombardi.

Fr Lombardi told Vatican Radio the Pope’s comments, made to reporters during a flight back from Mexico in response to a specific question on Mr Trump, were simply an affirmation of his long-standing belief that migrants should be helped rather than shut off behind walls.

“In no way was this a personal attack, nor an indication of how to vote,” Fr Lombardi said.