Ex-Trump aide: Catholic bishops ‘need illegal aliens’ to fill pews

President Donald Trump’s ex-strategist is criticizing the Roman Catholic church, after church leaders denounced Trump’s recent decision on young immigrants. Bannon argues that bishops “need illegal aliens to fill the churches.”

In an interview to air on “60 Minutes,” Steve Bannon, who is Catholic, tells Charlie Rose: “I totally respect the Pope and I totally respect the Catholic Bishops and cardinals on doctrine. This is not about doctrine. This is about the sovereignty of a nation. And in that regard, they’re just another guy with an opinion.”

“The bishops have been terrible about this,” Bannon said. “By the way, you know why? You know why? Because unable to really to . . . come to grips with the problems in the church, they need illegal aliens, they need illegal aliens to fill the churches.”

Bannon is also blasting White House aides who publicly distanced themselves from the president’s response to Charlottesville — yet stick it out in the West Wing.

Bannon singles out Trump economic adviser Gary Cohn: “If you don’t like what he’s doing and you don’t agree with it, you have an obligation to resign.”

Cohn denounced Trump for saying “many sides” were to blame for the Virginia violence.

The interview is set to air Sunday. Excerpts were released Thursday.