Rev. Franklin Graham. (NBC screenshot)

Commenting on how Christians over the centuries have provided – free of government interference – assistance, food, shelter, training, and health care to the poor, evangelist Franklin Graham said he agreed with Catholic Bill Donohue that “socialists and atheists are scared to death of the church.”

Donohue, head of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, wrote a column about Mother Teresa, cited by Rev. Graham, which explained why socialists despise private sector, voluntary aid to the poorest of the poor.

In a Sept. 3 post on Facebook, Rev. Graham wrote, “I'm not a Catholic, but as the Democratic Party embraces socialism Bill Donohue makes an excellent point in the article linked below.”

“Socialists and atheists are scared to death of the church,” said Rev. Graham. “They don't want anyone except the government responsible for caring for the poor.”

“Here in this country, the poor were cared for by churches for over 200 years,” he said, “the Catholics, the Presbyterians, the Methodists, the Baptists all had great hospitals to care for the sick.”

“If the Democratic socialists have their way, we will lose the quality of our healthcare and it will be so expensive that in many cases the poor will have nowhere to go,” said Rev. Graham.

He continued, “Socialists have a problem with those in the business of helping others -- especially in Jesus' Name. I'm glad Bill Donohue brought this up. Let me know what you think in the comments below.”

Franklin Graham, 64, is the son of world-renowned evangelist Billy Graham. Franklin Graham is married and has five children. He runs the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) and the international Christian relief group Samaritan’s Purse. Franklin Graham regularly comments on current events on television and radio, and he regularly preaches in the United States and abroad.

Billy Graham, 97, is retired and lives at his family cabin in Montreat, N.C.