ROME (AP) — Pope Francis said Donald Trump’s plans to impose mass deportations of immigrants would be a “disgrace,” as he weighed in on the incoming U.S. president’s pledges nearly a decade after calling him “not Christian” for wanting to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexican border.

"If it is true, it will be a disgrace, because it makes the poor wretches who have nothing to pay the unpaid bill," Francis said.

If this is true it is a disgrace because it makes the poor unfortunate who have nothing pay the price of imbalance. This is not how things are solved,” the pope said on Italian TV.

Pope Francis sent “cordial greetings” and “assurance of my prayers” to Donald J. Trump on Jan. 20, the day of his inauguration as the 47th president of the United States.

During an interview on an Italian television program, Pope Francis directly criticized incoming U.S. President Donald Trump's plans for a massive deportation of illegal migrants.

Pope Francis criticized Donald Trump's proposed mass deportations, describing them as 'a disgrace.' The Pope's comments came on an Italian talk show, where he stated that such actions would harm those with nothing and are not a solution,

The comments provided the latest indication of a potential renewal of friction between the Vatican and the next Trump White House.

This comes after Francis appointed Cardinal Robert McElroy to be the next Archbishop of Washington, D.C. McElroy is a staunch opponent of mass deportations, calling them “inconsistent with Catholic doctrine,” CNN reports.

Francis took aim at Trump’s hardline immigration stance in 2016, saying anyone who builds a wall to shut out immigrants was ‘not Christian.’

The pontiff, who frequently expresses sympathy for migrants and refugees, criticises raids which are set to begin this week

Pope Francis said Donald Trump’s plans to impose mass deportations of immigrants would be a “disgrace,” as he weighed in on the incoming U.S. president’s pledges nearly a decade after calling