Story highlights Vatican spokesman says Pope's remarks not "a personal attack"

Donald Trump at CNN town hall: Pope is a "wonderful guy"

Trump's GOP rivals largely stayed away from the brouhaha

(CNN) Nobody wants to tangle with the Pope -- not even Donald Trump.

One of the more unlikely battles to jolt a presidential campaign emerged Thursday when Pope Francis said Trump is "not Christian" if he wants to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. Trump, true to form, shot back that the pontiff's comments were "disgraceful."

But by Thursday evening, the GOP front-runner was doing something unusual: de-escalating a fight.

"I don't like fighting with the Pope," Trump said at a GOP town hall in South Carolina hosted by CNN. "I like his personality; I like what he represents."

Trump called the Pope a "wonderful guy" and blamed the day's drama on the press.

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