VATICAN CITY (RNS) — A day after calling incoming President Donald Trump’s mass deportation plan for migrants “a disgrace,” Pope Francis said Monday (Jan. 20) that he hopes the United States under the new administration will avoid “hatred, discrimination or exclusion.”

On Sunday, responding to a question by Italian television journalist Fabio Fazio, Francis said the deportation program, “If this is true, it would be a disgrace, because it would make poor wretches who have nothing, pay for the price of the (world’s) inequality. That’s not right, this is not how you solve things.”

In the same interview, he stressed the importance of “welcoming, accompanying, promoting and integrating migrants.”

In his message for the United States’ Inauguration Day on Monday, Francis offered his prayers for the 47th president as he embarks on his second term. “Inspired by your nation’s ideals of being a land of opportunity and welcome for all, it is my hope that under your leadership the American people will prosper and always strive to build a more just society, where there is no room for hatred, discrimination or exclusion.” the statement said.

“At the same time, as our human family faces numerous challenges, not to mention the scourge of war, I also ask God to guide your efforts in promoting peace and reconciliation among peoples,” he said.

The wars in Gaza and in Ukraine have been a recurring concern for the pontiff, who has made repeated appeals for peace and dialogue. In Sunday’s interview he applauded the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, saying it has raised hopes for a peaceful mediation of the bloody conflict.

In the interview, the pope reiterated his support for a two-state solution in which Israel and Palestine both have territorial and international recognition. He also condemned the arm industry’s involvement in global conflicts.

“Peace is always a superior to war, always,” Francis said. “To make peace you sometimes have to lose something, but you earn more with peace. There needs to be bravery to have peace!” he added.

The pope lauded the mediators in the Biden administration and the incoming Trump administration who achieved the ceasefire agreement, and endorsed all efforts to bring all warring parties to the table in search of a peaceful solution. “We must favor international negotiations that can helps us avoid war, because war is always a defeat, don’t forget it, whether we like it or not.”

At 88, and struggling with his health, Francis is working to cement his legacy as the leader of a global church. In a recent series of appointments in the U.S., the pope has placed strong allies in key positions who share his vision on topics ranging from migration to the environment.

The Vatican announced on Monday that Bishop Joe Vásquez, 67, will take over the Diocese of Galveston-Houston Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, a former head of the U.S. bishops’ conference. The appointment comes shortly after the pope moved Cardinal Robert McElroy from his post in San Diego to lead the Archdiocese of Washington.

Vásquez was most recently selected by Francis to oversee the Diocese of Tyler, also in Texas, after he dismissed its former bishop, Joseph Strickland, who had openly accused the pope of being a heretic and called the validity of his leadership into question.

Francis recently fell in his house at the Vatican, the Domus Sancta Martae, which left him with a contusion in his right arm. “To be clear, our life is about always starting over. You know, every day, we start over: after a fall, we get up and start over; after a success, you keep going and start over. This is very important: starting over, with means to keep walking,” Francis said on Sunday.