Donald Trump has been declared “not Christian” by the world’s foremost expert on the topic — Pope Francis.  The Holy War of words erupted when the pontiff blasted the GOP presidential front-runner’s plan to construct a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border and expel 11 million undocumented immigrants.  “A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian,” Francis told reporters aboard the papal plane after a visit to Mexico. “This is not the gospel.”  An enraged Trump didn’t even try to turn the other cheek.  EXPERT: NOT ONLY CAN TRUMP WEATHER THIS BACK AND FORTH WITH POPE FRANCIS, IT MAY MAKE HIM STRONGER  “If and when ISIS attacks the Vatican,” the Pope will pray for Trump to be President, the billionaire blowhard said Thursday during a campaign event in South Carolina.  Rome’s Holy See is the “ultimate trophy” for terrorists, Trump added.  “For a religious leader to question a person’s faith is disgraceful. I am proud to be a Christian,” he fumed.  His ferocious attack also accused the Pope of being duped about the true state of things at the U.S. border.  But the fire and brimstone didn’t rattle Pope Francis. If anything, the pontiff was pleased to have Trump call him a “political” figure.  “Aristotle defined the human person as ‘animal politicus,’” the Pope said. “So at least I am a human person.”  BRITISH PARLIAMENT BEGINS DEBATING MEASURE THAT WOULD BAN DONALD TRUMP FROM UK  The pontiff closed out his Mexico visit with a public Mass at the border and offered a prayer to all the undocumented immigrants who died trying to cross it.  While panning Trump’s plans to build the wall, the Pope stopped short of saying whether the Catholic faithful should vote for Trump.  But he clearly wasn’t afraid to wade into the political fray — calling on the U.S. to address the “humanitarian crisis” at its doorstep.  “I say only that this man is not Christian if he said things like that,” Francis said of Trump’s policies.  But the pontiff may find his flock unwilling to be herded.  A poll taken in September by Monmouth University, a private institution in West Long Branch, N.J., found that six-in-10 Catholics have a favorable view of Francis.  POPE FRANCIS URGES 'OPEN HEARTS' TOWARD IMMIGRANTS AT MEXICO'S BORDER WITH THE U.S.  Nearly half think he should keep his immigration thoughts to himself. And 78% of Catholic Republicans actually favor a wall on the Mexican border, said Patrick Murray, director of Monmouth University’s Polling Institute.  The Pope did extend the orange-hued Republican an olive branch Thursday — saying he hadn’t personally heard Trump’s wall talk.  “We must see if he said things in that way and in this I give the benefit of the doubt,” Francis added.  Trump, campaigning ahead of Saturday’s Palmetto State primary, took repeated bites of the apple.  He called the 79-year-old Francis a “pawn” influenced by “disparaging remarks” from the Mexican government.  “They want to continue to rip off the United States, both on trade and at the border and they understand I am totally wise to them,” he raged.  It was complete turn-around from the genial tweet Trump sent in March 2013, when the Argentine-born Francis was named head of Catholic Church.  CANADIAN ISLAND READY TO TAKE IN AMERICANS IF DONALD TRUMP BECOMES PRESIDENT  “People that know him love him!” Trump wrote. Several months later he tweeted that “the new Pope is a humble man, very much like me, which probably explains why I like him so much!”  On Thursday, Trump said he still had tremendous respect for Francis but had no intention of reaching out to the Vatican to end the imbroglio.  Two Republican Catholic presidential hopefuls said Francis should stick to saving souls. GOP candidates Marco Rubio and Jeb Bush sided with Trump.  “I support walls and fencing where it’s appropriate," Bush said Thursday.  Rubio, a fellow Republican and Catholic, said the U.S. only wants the same final say on people crossing its borders as officials enjoy in the walled-in Vatican City.  POPE FRANCIS DEFENDS POPE JOHN PAUL II'S CLOSE RELATIONSHIP WITH MARRIED WOMAN  Mayor de Blasio quickly hailed the Pope’s comments.  Trump “is all about building walls between people while @Pontifex works to heal age-old divisions,” Hizzoner tweeted.  The White House mostly steered clear — but couldn’t resist a small dig at Trump.  Spokesman Josh Earnest said he would give Trump “the courtesy that he has not extended to the President” and not “call into question the kind of private, personal conversations that he's having with his God.”
Speaking in Mexico, the pious Pope said Trump’s proposal to build a wall on the U.S. border was an affront to Christian values.