‘Madness’: Pope Francis Denounces Attempts to Limit Migration From Southern Border In 60 Minutes Interview

Pope Francis denounced efforts to limit migration from the U.S.-Mexico border and slammed Texas officials for targeting a Catholic charity.

During a 60 Minutes interview on Sunday with Norah O’Donnell, the Catholic religious leader called on U.S. lawmakers to show more sympathy towards migrants coming to the U.S. Moreover, he noted that “migration is something that makes a country grow” and urged U.S. leaders to stop “the globalization to indifference” of human suffering.

The pope also condemned efforts by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to subpoena a catholic charity. The attorney general tried to subpoena Annunciation House, which is a Catholic charity organization that offers temporary housing to migrants. Paxton claimed the charity was “harboring, human smuggling, and operating a stash house.”

Francis referred to efforts to stop migrants from coming across the border as “sheer madness.”

O’DONNELL: You have talked about with migrants, many of them children, that you encourage governments to build bridges, not walls.

FRANCIS: Migration is something that makes a country grow. They say that you, Irish, migrated and brought the whiskey. That the Italians migrated and brought the Mafia. It’s a joke, don’t take it badly. But migrants sometimes suffer a lot. They suffer a lot.

O’DONNELL: I grew up in Texas, and I don’t know if you’ve heard, but the state of Texas is attempting to shut down a Catholic charity on the border with Mexico that offers undocumented migrants humanitarian assistance. What do you think of that?

FRANCIS: That is madness. Sheer madness. To close the border and leave them there. That is madness. The migrant has to be received. I think thereafter you see how you’re going to deal with them. Maybe you have to send him back. I don’t know. But each case ought to be considered humanely, right?

Watch the clip above via CBS News.