Loading...
Loading...
Click here if you don’t see subscription options
Migrants reach out from a boat during rescue operations Oct. 20 in the Mediterranean Sea. (CNS photo/Italian Red Cross via EPA)Migrants reach out from a boat during rescue operations Oct. 20 in the Mediterranean Sea.  (CNS photo/Italian Red Cross via EPA)

The day before Donald Trump was elected president of the United States, Pope Francis said he would make no judgments about the candidate and was interested only in the impact his policies would have on the poor. Eugenio Scalfari, co-founder and former editor of La Repubblica, said he discussed the president-elect with Pope Francis on Nov. 7. “I don't give judgments about persons and politicians; I only want to understand what sufferings their way of proceeding will cause the poor and excluded,” the pope said. Mr. Scalfari said the pope’s greatest concern was for refugees and immigrants. Christians must do what they can to solve the underlying problems forcing so many to flee their homelands, the pope said. “There are poor people in wealthy countries who are afraid of welcoming people like them from poor countries,” the pope said. “It is a perverse cycle that must be interrupted. We must tear down the walls that divide, try to increase well-being and make it more widespread.

Comments are automatically closed two weeks after an article's initial publication. See our comments policy for more.

The latest from america

“His presence brings prestige to our nation and to the entire Group of 7. It is the first time that a pope will participate in the work of the G7,” Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said.
Gerard O’ConnellApril 26, 2024
“Many conflicting, divergent and often contradictory views of the human person have found wide acceptance … they have led to holders of traditional theories being cancelled or even losing their jobs,” the bishops said.
Robots can give you facts. But they can’t give you faith.
Delaney CoyneApril 26, 2024
Sophie Nélisse as Irene Gut Opdyke, left, stars in a scene from the movie “Irena's Vow.” (OSV news photo/Quiver)
“Irena’s Vow” is true story of a Catholic nurse who used her position to shelter a dozen Jews in World War II-era Poland.
Ryan Di CorpoApril 26, 2024