Pope Francis used his visit to Greece to criticize Europe’s differences over immigration and at the same time warn of the dangers of populism.
Greece has long been on the front line of the refugee crisis.
In Athens, at the second stop Mediterranean trip This highlights the plight of immigrants and refugees, and the Pope also expressed concern about the regression of global democracy.
In a speech at the Greek Presidential Palace on Saturday, he said: “The European Community, torn apart by the self-interest of nationalism, rather than the engine of unity, sometimes seems to be hindered and uncoordinated.”
“In the past, ideological conflicts hindered the construction of bridges between Eastern and Western Europe; today, immigration issues have also caused a rift between North and South.”
The Roman Catholic leader himself was the son and grandson of a poor Italian who moved to Argentina, and he made the protection of immigrants the cornerstone of his pope.
exist CyprusAs the first stop of the five-day trip, the pope, who will turn 85 this month, is now clearly limping when he walks. He condemned the “enslavement” and “torture” frequently suffered by those fleeing war and poverty.
“It reminds us of the history of the last century, the history of Nazis and Stalin,” he said at a prayer ceremony for immigrants gathered in Nicosia, the capital of the island that was divided by war, on Friday. “We want to know how this happens.”
But Francis arranged for 50 asylum seekers to relocate from Cyprus to Rome, retaining his harshest language at the end of his Greek trip.
Citing Athens is not only the birthplace of democracy, but also “the place where mankind first realized that he was a’political animal’. He expressed his disheartened fear of being seduced by the Siren Song of what he called authoritarianism,” and Warn populists for promising popular but unrealistic solutions.
“We cannot avoid noticing with concern that today, not only in Europe, we are witnessing the regression of democracy,” he said in a speech without naming countries or individual leaders. “Democracy requires the participation and participation of all people…it is complicated, and authoritarianism is mandatory, and the simple answer to populism seems attractive.”
At the southern tip of Europe, Cyprus and Greece have strengthened their immigration policies in response to the influx of people fleeing conflict, persecution and poverty in Asia, Africa and the Middle East.
In Greece, with the increasing security of the land and sea borders with Turkey, the number of arrivals has dropped sharply. But the number of asylum seekers in Cyprus, further east, has increased dramatically. Internationally recognized officials in southern Greece have accused the separated Turkish-occupied northern part of allowing immigrants to cross the ceasefire line, which has divided the country since Ankara invaded in 1974 in response to a coup designed to unite with Greece.
As the EU tightens border controls more broadly, it is allegedly involved in fight back In order to prevent immigration, Pope Francis has acted as a moral compass on this issue.
In Nicosia on Friday, he said he had a responsibility to speak for the suffering of refugees and tell the truth.
Earlier on Saturday, the Greek Cypriot Interior Minister Nicos Nuris confirmed that 14 of the 50 asylum seekers who will be transferred to Italy will leave the island on December 16, including two Cameroonian students stranded The United Nations patrol buffer zone on the island since May.
Like Greece and other southern EU member states, Cyprus complains about being forced to bear Disproportionate liability Manage large-scale immigration to the European Union. Nuris said that the pope’s posture is not just iconic. “[It] It clearly shows solidarity in practice,” he told reporters after holding a farewell ceremony for religious leaders. “This is the substantial solidarity we seek from our European partners. “
On Sunday, repeating his Sad visit Traveling to Lesbos in 2016, Francis will fly to the Aegean islands to hear the testimonies of immigrant men and women who have arrived on its coast.
Five years ago, he rescued 12 refugees who seemed destined to live in the harsh conditions of an extremely crowded camp on Lesbos. He took them back to his plane and shocked European political elites.
After a series of treatments, asylum seekers have been placed in a temporary reception center. Destroyed by fire Dirty facilities in Moria
For a Catholic leader who likes to surprise, it is not impossible to repeat his stunt.
“There may be a spontaneous decision,” said George Dagas, the parish priest of the Catholic Cathedral in the Greek capital. “The Pope wants all these people to have a better future. Who knows? It might happen again.”
