Pope Francis, Donald Trump

Pope Francis lowered the boom on Donald Trump this afternoon, saying that the billionaire businessman doesn't seem "Christian," because of his harsh stance calling for the rounding up and deportation of undocumented immigrants, not to mention Trump's Great Wall.

Francis is my favorite pope in a generation, a man sincerely motivated to minister to the poor and afflicted.

Donald, on the other hand, has been criticized often by me for immigration policies that are draconian and unworkable. But for the pope to say Donald isn't a Christian does seem a bit over the top. Since popes are no longer considered infallible, let me just add that I wish the Holy Father had framed his critique of Trump in ways that did not call into question the man's faith.

It's ex-communication without representation.

BTW: Tonight on Bret Baier's excellent Special Report on Fox News, I explore the role of race in the race for the White House. The topic is important because South Carolina has something New Hampshire and Iowa do not: black people. And in SC race is political destiny.