Former White House chief strategist Stephen Bannon in a new interview slammed the Catholic Church for its stance on immigration, saying leaders “need illegal aliens to to fill the churches."

Bannon told "60 Minutes" that the Catholic Church has been “terrible about” immigration when Charlie Rose noted that Cardinal Timothy Dolan in New York opposed President Trump’s decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

“You know why? Because [they have been] 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. It’s obvious on the face of it,” Bannon said.

WATCH: @CharlieRose talks with Steve Bannon in his first extensive interview since leaving Trump admin: https://t.co/Wx8n23hIvF @60Minutes pic.twitter.com/FmNjO7ANEk — CBS This Morning (@CBSThisMorning) September 7, 2017

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Attorney General Jeff Sessions Jefferson (Jeff) Beauregard SessionsTrump's policies on refugees are as simple as ABCs Ocasio-Cortez, Velázquez call for convention to decide Puerto Rico status White House officials voted by show of hands on 2018 family separations: report MORE announced Tuesday that the administration would phase out the program, which temporarily blocked the deportation of immigrants who were brought to the United States illegally as minors, giving Congress six months to act.

Bannon in the interview also argued that the Catholic Church has an “economic interest” in "unlimited illegal immigration."

“I totally respect the pope, and I totally respect the Catholic bishops and cardinals on doctrine. This is not about doctrine. This is about sovereignty of a nation. And in that regard, they’re just another guy with an opinion.”

Bannon left the White House last month and has returned to Breitbart News, which he helmed until joining the Trump campaign in 2016.