This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen
on .
It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
Pope Francis Says World Is at War, but Not a Religious War
Pope Francis Says World Is at War, but It’s Not a Religious Conflict
(about 2 hours later)
KRAKOW, Poland — The world is at war, but it is not a war of religions, Pope Francis said Wednesday as he traveled to Poland in the wake of violent attacks in France and Germany claimed by Islamist extremists.
KRAKOW, Poland — As he began his first official visit to Poland, Pope Francis on Wednesday said “the world is at war,” and he challenged the conservative governments of Central and Eastern Europe to soften their resistance to migrants seeking refuge.
The killing on Tuesday of an 85-year-old priest in a church in Normandy, France, added to security concerns surrounding the pope’s five-day visit for the World Youth Day celebrations. Polish officials say they have deployed tens of thousands of security officers to cover the event.
The pope’s visit to the southern Polish city of Krakow to celebrate World Youth Day, a major event on the Roman Catholic calendar, began just a day after the horrific killing of a priest in France.
Pope Francis spoke to reporters on his plane as he traveled from Rome to Poland. Asked about the killing of the priest, Francis replied, “It’s war, we don’t have to be afraid to say this.”
The priest, the Rev. Jacques Hamel, 85, was celebrating Mass in a small town in Normandy when two men with knives entered the church and slit his throat. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack.
After greeting reporters on his plane, he returned to the topic to clarify that when he spoke of war, he was speaking of “a war of interests, for money, resources, dominion of peoples.”
Francis, 79, was clearly shaken by the attack, and he appeared solemn and pensive as he headed to Poland, the first stop on a trip to Central and Eastern Europe.
“I am not speaking of a war of religions,” the pope said. “Religions don’t want war. The others want war.”
“The world is at war,” he told reporters on his plane from Rome to Krakow. “We don’t need to be afraid to say this.”
Upon arrival at the Krakow airport, Francis was greeted by President Andrzej Duda of Poland and other state officials, as well as hundreds of people who had waited for hours to see him. Prime Minister Beata Szydlo knelt and kissed the pope’s ring.
But with anti-Muslim sentiment growing after the recent Islamic State-inspired terrorist attacks in France and Germany, Pope Francis emphasized that he did not see a religious conflict. “I am not speaking of a war of religions,” he said. “Religions don’t want war. The others want war.”
After a brief ceremony, Francis then traveled in an open car through the city, waving at cheering crowds as he headed to the Wawel Castle for the main welcoming ceremony.
He said he was referring to “a war of interests” and a war for money, resources and the “domination of peoples.”
There, Mr. Duda, a Catholic from Krakow, called Francis a “support, a road sign” in life for young people.
Three days before the pope’s arrival in Poland, the Vatican issued a statement reprimanding Polish officials who “artificially created fear of Muslims.”
“The world today badly needs values, it needs faith and good, all of which your Holiness is bringing,” Mr. Duda said. “We are all waiting for your word.”
Poland, like other states in Central and Eastern Europe, has refused to accept its quota of refugees as requested by the European Union. After the recent attack in Nice, Interior Minister Mariusz Blaszczak assured Poles that borders would remain sealed to ensure their safety.
Francis then delivered a speech urging the Polish authorities “to overcome fear” and show compassion to migrants. Poland, a nation that is deeply Catholic is strongly opposed to accepting migrants, with fears running deep that Muslim arrivals could endanger the nation’s security and Catholic traditions.
On Wednesday, as Francis addressed more than a million young Catholics who had traveled to Krakow from around the world, he praised Poland for its ability to “establish a national community on the foundation of its human, social, political, economic and religious heritage,” and then called on Poles to respect “the complex phenomenon of migration,” which “calls for great wisdom and compassion, in order to overcome fear and to achieve the greater good.”
Noting that many Poles have also emigrated from their country, Francis spoke of the need to ease their return if they wish to repatriate, and understand the reasons that caused them to leave.
“Also needed,” Francis said, “is a spirit of readiness to welcome those fleeing from wars and hunger, and solidarity with those deprived of their fundamental rights, including the right to profess one’s faith in freedom and safety.”
“Also needed is a spirit of readiness to welcome those fleeing from wars and hunger, and solidarity with those deprived of their fundamental rights, including the right to profess one’s faith in freedom and safety,” Francis told them.
Prime Minister Beata Szydlo said she did not see the pope’s comments as a rebuke of Polish officials.
Francis spoke of the need for international efforts to resolve the wars forcing so many people to leave their homelands.
“What the Holy Father said was that we need to stick together,” Ms. Szydlo said during a briefing for reporters. “The times are becoming increasingly hard, and only in unity can we can find the solution to our problems.”
“This means doing everything possible to alleviate the suffering while tirelessly working with wisdom and constancy for justice and peace, bearing witness in practice to human and Christian values,” he said.
In the evening, Francis is to appear in the window of the residence of Krakow’s bishops, where he will be staying, and chat with some among the hundreds of thousands of pilgrims from around the world gathered for the World Youth Day celebrations that will run through Sunday. Just hours before the pope’s arrival, groups of cheerful young pilgrims were seen in the streets of Krakow.
Relics of St. Mary Magdalene were transported to the St. Casimir Church from France for the duration of World Youth Day, and were displayed in a case by the altar.
“Their presence helps us concentrate on our prayers and brings us closer to God,” said Nounella Blanchedent, 22, from the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe.
She was one of the volunteers helping with security and logistics at the packed church, where a Mass was being celebrated in French.
