‘That is madness’: What Pope Francis said about closing the U.S. border, war on ‘60 Minutes’

In a rare interview, Pope Francis called for peace in Ukraine and Gaza, and for Americans to treat migrants “humanely,” on “60 Minutes.”

“Please, warring countries, all of them, stop. Stop the war. You must find a way of negotiating for peace,” Pope Francis told “60 Minutes.” “Strive for peace. A negotiated peace is always better than an endless war.”

Pope Francis also condemned the rising trend of antisemitism and anti-Palestinian sentiment, adding that he prays “a lot” for peace across the globe.

“Any ‘anti’ is always bad,” he said.

What did Pope Francis say about closing the U.S. border on ‘60 Minutes’?

On “60 Minutes,” Pope Francis was asked what he thought about Texas trying to shut down a Catholic charity that gives humanitarian assistance to undocumented migrants on the U.S. border with Mexico. The U.S. might have to send some migrants back to their home countries depending on the circumstances, he said, but “to close the border and leave them there, that is madness.”

“The migrant has to be received,” Pope Francis said. “Thereafter you see how you are going to deal with him.”

Throughout U.S. history, migrants have faced harmful stereotypes and “suffer a lot,” Pope Francis added. He said regardless of the end decision, each migrant should be treated “humanely” by the U.S.

Texas has targeted charities that help undocumented immigrants as part of a wider border “crackdown,” according to Axios.

Francis talks gay marriage, conservative Catholics

While clarifying that Catholic priests can’t bless the union of same-sex marriage, Pope Francis reiterated to “60 Minutes” that he believes gay individuals can receive blessings.

“The blessing is for everyone. For everyone. To bless a homosexual-type union, however, goes against the given right, against the law of the church,” Pope Francis said. “But to bless each person, why not? The blessing is for all. Some people were scandalized by this. But why?”

Pope Francis also backed up his prior comments about homosexuality not being a crime, calling it a “human fact.”

Then the pope was asked about “conservative” bishops in the U.S. who might oppose his moves to “revisit teachings and traditions.” He addressed his critics.

“You used an adjective, ‘conservative.’ That is, conservative is one who clings to something and does not want to see beyond that. It is a suicidal attitude,” he told “60 Minutes.” “Because one thing is to take tradition into account, to consider situations from the past, but quite another is to be closed up inside a dogmatic box.”

Francis: ‘The globalization of indifference is a very ugly disease’

People across the globe might get tired of dire headlines about war, injustice and crime, but it’s important not to accept these events and become indifferent, Pope Francis said in the interview. He encouraged people to get “our hearts to feel again” and push back against the “globalization of indifference,” calling it a “disease.”

When asked what gives him hope, Pope Francis said that people are fundamentally good. “The heart itself is good” despite that there are “some rogues and sinners,” he closed.