UK bishop: Support for Trump 'contradicts Christianity'

By Ahmet Gurhan Kartal

LONDON (AA) - A senior British bishop on Thursday questioned the compatibility of U.S. evangelical Christians' "uncritical support" for President Donald Trump with religion.

Anglican Bishop of Liverpool Paul Bayes said Christians were free to support right-wing populism but asked: "How are they going to relate that to their Christian faith?"

He added: "If what I believe are the clear teachings of the gospel about love for all, the desire for justice and for making sure marginalized and defenseless people are protected, if it looks as though those teachings are being contradicted, then I think there is a need to say so."

Speaking to The Guardian newspaper, Bayes said some religious leaders "collude with a system that marginalizes the poor, a system which builds walls instead of bridges, a system which says people on the margins of society should be excluded, a system which says we're not welcoming people any more into our country."

Such views were not justifiable under Christianity, he said.

Trump has caused outrage since he came into the White House, including a decree banning people travelling to the U.S. from some Muslim countries and recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

In the U.K., Trump's retweeting of anti-immigrant videos spread by a far-right group led to calls for him to be barred from visiting Britain.

According to a poll by the U.S.-based Pew Research Centre, 80 percent of evangelical Christians voted for Trump in the 2016 presidential election and around 75 percent have said they approve of his presidency.