Pope Francis' latest statement that "no people is criminal and no religion is terrorist" drew intrigue from opinion analysts. The pontiff made the remark in a welcome letter read aloud at the U.S. Regional World Meeting of Popular Movements in Modesto, California on Friday.

"Christian terrorism does not exist, Jewish terrorism does not exist, and Muslim terrorism does not exist. They do not exist," the pope said in his impassioned address at the Vatican-sponsored conference. He blames economic inequalities for terrorism rather than religious beliefs.

The pontiff added that there are violent individuals in all peoples and religions who become stronger with intolerant generalizations because they feed on hate and xenophobia.

Pope Francis blamed "[t]he economic system that has the god of money at its center, and that sometimes acts with the brutality of the robbers" for the spread of fundamentalism. He also attributed social apathy to the sufferings happening. "Globalized society frequently looks the other way with the pretence of innocence," he said, adding, "Under the guise of what is politically correct or ideologically fashionable, one looks at those who suffer without touching them."

Despite insisting he was "not speaking of anyone in particular," some observers considered the pope's remark a subtle rebuke to U.S. President Donald Trump's immigration policy, especially when he urged Christians and people of goodwill to be neighbors without drawing barriers.

The pope wrote that there is grave danger in disowning our neighbors as in doing so, we deny their humanity, our own humanity, ourselves and most important, the commandments of Jesus without even realizing it.

The meeting tackled Trump's recent orders banning immigrants from seven Muslim-majority countries.

Rather than promote indifference, the Bishop of Rome called on the faithful to build "bridges between people and individuals" instead. These bridges, he said, can overcome the walls of exclusion, indifference, racism and intolerance.