Vatican to Trump - It's not 'personal,' it's religion

U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks to voters at a rally at the The Myrtle Beach Sports Center in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, February 19, 2016. REUTERS/Randall Hill

MYRTLE BEACH, South Carolina (Reuters) - The Vatican on Friday tried to tamp down a firestorm ignited by Pope Francis' comments assailing Donald Trump's views on U.S. immigration as "not Christian", assuring the Republican presidential front-runner that it was not a personal attack or attempt to influence the U.S. campaign.

Francis told reporters during a conversation on his flight home from Mexico on Thursday, "A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian."