Pope Francis Speech: Pope Beseeches Every European Parish To Shelter A Refugee Family
Pope Francis is asking parishes to lead by example in the case of the refugee crisis that has hit Europe.e
While addressing the public at the Vatican on Sept. 6, the pope called on every religious institution and holy place in Europe to host at least one refugee family. Reuters reported from the scene. "I appeal to the parishes, the religious communities, the monasteries and sanctuaries of all Europe to ... take in one family of refugees," he said. ""Every parish, every religious community, every monastery, every sanctuary of Europe, take in one family."
Pope Francis who has been known to bring a fresh perspective to the Vatican, and has always been something of a progressive on various contentious issues, hinted support for these embattled migrants.
Previously he made this clear by pointing out his disapproval of the wall Hungary built on the outskirts of Europe to keep migrants out in a letter to a Church association meeting in Albania:
"It is violence to build walls and barriers to stop those who look for a place of peace. It is violence to push back those who flee inhuman conditions in the hope of a better future."
The report also points out that the Pope himself is the grandson of Italian emigrants to Argentina.
The Pope's support is very important at a time when of the European nations only Germany has shown sensitivity to the refugees and taken them in. Many countries in the EU and Middle-Eastern nations like Saudi Arabia have been showing the refugees a cold shoulder.
Recently news of the Saudi government actually taking action to ensure that such help cannot be extended has been a bit shocking. The Saudi Arabian government has banned its citizens from adopting Syrian orphans.
Two recent reports about the Syrian refugee crisis have been particularly chilling -- one about a driverless truck, with the dead bodies of migrants found in the carriage, and the drowning of a child en route to Europe. The refugee crisis has not only stunned the world but everybody has been looking to Europe and England to see how they deal with the situation. While some countries, like Germany are trying to step up to the challenge, others like England are waffling.
