Pope Francis: Rejection of Migrants Stoked by ‘Populist Rhetoric’

Wednesday, February 22, 2017
By Paul Martin

by THOMAS D. WILLIAMS, PH.D.
BreitBart.com
22 Feb 2017

Pope Francis has urged Christians to a change in attitude regarding immigration, because failing to welcome migrants is rooted in selfishness and fueled by “populist rhetoric.”

Speaking to participants in a conference on “Migration and Peace” in the Vatican Tuesday, Francis said that “accessible and secure humanitarian channels” are needed for migrants fleeing from “conflicts and terrible persecutions.”

“More widespread programs of welcome,” he said, “seem to favor a personal encounter and allow for greater quality of service and increased guarantees of success.”

On the same day, the President of the European Parliament, Antonio Tajani warned that if Africa’s problems of drought and malnutrition are not dealt with quickly and effectively, “we will have millions and millions of Africans” pushing to enter Europe and dams and walls will not be sufficient to hold them back.

A true change of heart is needed, the Pope said, because the rejection of migrants is “rooted ultimately in self-centeredness and amplified by populist rhetoric.”

To combat this trend, we must “overcome indifference” and “counter fears with a generous approach of welcoming those who knock at our doors,” he said.

Francis expressed his conviction that in the majority of cases migration today is forced, “caused by conflict, natural disasters, persecution, climate change, violence, extreme poverty and inhumane living conditions.”

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