Piers Morgan Compares Rush Limbaugh to 'The Devil Incarnate'

In a flourish of exaggeration, CNN's Piers Morgan compared Rush Limbaugh to the devil and conservatives to Genghis Khan on his Tuesday night show.

"Rush Limbaugh keeps whacking away at Pope Francis which is, you know, it's like watching the devil incarnate taking on Mother Teresa," Morgan said in his interview with Ann Coulter. He also took a shot at Limbaugh, Coulter, and other conservatives who are unhappy with Pope Francis's popularity with liberals. [Video below the break. Audio here.]

After Coulter took issue with Pope Francis's statement that not only Catholics can be saved, Morgan retorted:

"Or it could just be that he believes in open church, open Christianity, all-inclusive, they'll take anybody. Unlike your lot who are so dogmatic. You have to be, you know, right of Genghis Khan to even be acceptable."

Below is a transcript of the segment, which aired on Piers Morgan Live on December 17 at 9:51 p.m. EST:

PIERS MORGAN: Let's turn to the Pope. Rush Limbaugh keeps whacking away at Pope Francis which is, you know, it's like watching the devil incarnate taking on Mother Teresa. But tell me why the right seemed to have some big issue with a man who appears to be non-bigoted, incredibly humble, a force for good. Somebody perhaps revolutionizing an anachronistic church, dragging them kicking and screaming in to the real world. Why would this enrage the likes of Rush Limbaugh?

ANN COULTER: I'm not sure, I mean in Rush Limbaugh's case, we of course think he is the pope. So I could see why he'd be angry at it. But, you know, my own -- I'm not a Catholic but I would think that the head of the Catholics – the statement by the Pope that I find most surprising was his statement that you don't have to be a Christian to go to heaven.

Look you may think that, maybe there are lot of people who think that. But if you're head of the RNC, you're not supposed to be saying, "Oh, don't bother, voting Republican." That isn't supposed to be your position. That's the most surprising. I mean, I guess except for the anti-papist crowd.

MORGAN: Or it could just be that he believes in open church, open Christianity, all-inclusive, they'll take anybody. Unlike your lot who are so dogmatic. You have to be, you know, right of Genghis Khan to even be acceptable.

COULTER: Okay, but if you're the head of the Catholic Church and your position is, join any church. In fact you don't even have to be a Christian. Maybe you wouldn't, you know, you could get a show on CNN. But maybe you shouldn't be the head of the Catholic Church.