Pope Francisco in the European Parliament says “all European citizens”
The call to protect human dignity was the main theme of the Pope Francisco, which he said on Tuesday in the European Parliament. He also addressed the problems of immigration and environmental protection and the revitalisation of human rights and democracy and called for Europe to “re-open its strengths”.
In opening the formal sitting, President of THE EP, Martin Schulz, pointed out that people's confidence in politics, both at Member State and European level, was “catastrophic” and stressed that no institution could operate without the support of the population. “We all need to work together to recover lost confidence”, he said.
Schulz stressed that the common objectives of the European Union and the Catholic Church are “to increase tolerance, respect, equality, solidarity and peace”, and that “the objectives of the European Union are the inclusion and cooperation, not isolation and confrontation”.
Human rights and dignity
“I want to bring hope and encouragement to all European citizens”, said Francisco, speaking TO MEPs. He recalled that human dignity was the basis of restoring Europe after the Second World War and welcomed that “respect for human rights and human dignity are fundamental principles of Europe”, both within and in relations with other countries.
The European Parliament's responsibility is to “bring democracy to the benefit of all European citizens”, said Pope, stating that democracy should not be allowed to undermine “a multinational corporate interest that is contrary to global public interest”. He added that “it is time to work actively with the objective of increasing employment”, but the whole pair must “restore respect for labour by ensuring decent working conditions”.
Environment and migration
“Europe has always been the most active guardian of the environment”, emphasized the pope, who pointed out that respect for the environment means both not to destroy it and also to use it for proper purposes, such as providing food to those who need it and not to waste it.
Francisco also spoke about migratory flows to the European Union. He called for “not allowing the Mediterranean to turn into a huge graveyard”, stressing that Europe must “accept people who arrive in boats and help them”. Francisco added that Europe will be able to exist in the challenges of immigration only if it is able to assert its own cultural identity.
Additional information
The Pope visited Parliament following the invitation of THE EP President Martina Schulz, which he received on October 11, 2013, when Schulz visited Vatican. This is the first visit of the Roman Pope in 26 years. The previous time was 1988. In the year, when Pope John Paul II spoke to Members just a year before the fall of the Berlin Wall.
The Pope arrived AT THE EP Strasbourg headquarters on Tuesday around 10.30. At his awaiting ceremony, the European and Vatican anthem were played and the Vatican flag raised. After the ceremony, THE EP president Martin Schulz presented the EP Bureau members and the Conference of Presidents (EP's political group leaders). Following this, the Pope continued his visit to the European Council.
The European Parliament is one of the world's biggest elected parliaments. Its 751 Member represents 500 million EU citizens.
Links:
Pope's speech in the European Parliament
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/ep-live/lv/plenary/video?streamingLanguage=lv&debate=1416910665183