Bishop of Liverpool blasts Trump's Christian supporters

The bishop of Liverpool has criticized Christians who support Donald Trump, saying they have been "uncritically accepting" of the positions taken by the U.S. president and his allies.

Rev. Paul Bayes, who became the eighth Bishop of Liverpool in 2014, had warned that those who identify themselves as evangelicals risked smearing the word evangelical by supporting Trump, adding that there was no justification for Christians contradicting God's teaching to protect the poor and the week.

"Some of the things that have been said by religious leaders seem to collude with a system that marginalises 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," Bayes told The Guardian.

"Whenever people say those kinds of things, they need to be able to justify that they're saying those things as Christians, and I do not believe it's justifiable," he added.

Trump had implemented a travel ban that prevents citizens of Chad, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen from entering the U.S. He also backed a proposal that would end diversity lottery visas and curb the number of refugees offered permanent residency in the U.S.

Additionally, the U.S. president also issued an order to cut funding from cities that refuse to co-operate with immigration officials, but the mandate was blocked by judges.

Bayes emphasized that not all evangelicals are Trump supporters, adding that there were "many, many Christians who are trying to proclaim the gospel as we've received it, even if that means political leaders have to be challenged."

The bishop said that people are free to support rightwing populism, but he questioned whether it can be reconciled with the Christian faith.

His comments follow the Christmas sermon delivered by the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, in which he denounced populist leaders but did not specifically name Trump. Last month, Welby had stated that he could not comprehend the support for Trump among conservative evangelicals in the U.S.

Bayes was speaking to mark the launch of the Ozanne Foundation, a new charity that aims to work with other organizations on eliminating discrimination based on sexuality or gender.

The charity will be led by Jayne Ozanne, who is known for campaigning for gender and sexuality issues within the Church of England. Apart from Bayes, the trustees and advisers of the charity include, David Ison, the dean of St Paul's Cathedral; Jeffrey John, the dean of St Albans; and Martyn Percy, the dean of Christ Church, Oxford.