In a major political speech today, Pope Francis I, the head of the Catholic church, urged European Parliament deputies to respect the core values set out by “the founding fathers” of the European Union and he warned them against trends that dehumanized citizens and could mean Europe “risks losing its soul.”
In a landmark address, Pope Francis said that Europe “seems to be aging and egotistical” and he urged the EU to work for “dignity and transcendence” for its citizens and work to protect human rights, but he also told the parliamentarians to address the thorny issue of immigration. There must be “dignity against violence and discrimination,” he said, and the “special character of each person” must be respected. “The promotion of human rights is central…too many situations exist today where human beings are treated like objects,” he lamented, warning that “there is no dignity for men and women who suffer discrimination or have no work.” The Pope also spoke out against the growing solitude in society, with old people abandoned or uncared for and young people “without any point of reference.” He told the European parliamentarians that it was their responsibility to address the problems in “a world more complex and in full evolution.” Pope Francis was the second Pontiff to speak in Strasbourg. In 1988, Pope John Paul II addressed the parliament but in very different circumstances and before the fall of the Berlin Wall.
“The EU is more alive and influential,” Pope Francis said, telling the deputies that with the growth in political power, personal and collective responsibility also increased. He admonished the EU which he said gives “the general impression of fatigue in Europe” and he warned “the great ideals have been disappearing (and) human beings risk being reduced to cogs in a machine.” “Human life should not be a business,” the Pope affirmed, and Europe must make a contribution to “peace, solidarity and mutual solidarity (and) respect for human dignity.”
The Pope also spoke out against the many injustices in today’s world, notably the persecution of religious minorities across the globe, persecutions that take place “in silence with the complicity of many.” He highlighted also lack of decent jobs, food waste, lack of education and lack of respect for the environment as ongoing problems that need to be addressed. But he made special mention of the issue of immigration, particularly for those trying to enter Europe via the Mediterranean on “vessels of fortune” where many thousands drown on these dilapidated vessels every year. “We cannot allow the Mediterranean to become big cemetery,” the Pope urged.
He called for concrete measures to address this humanitarian problem and said that the EU must “work on the causes and not just the effects” of immigration.
