Weekend Roundup: Pope Francis Gets It Right

In a wide-ranging interview conducted by Guillaume Goubert and The WorldPost's "Following Francis" columnist, Sébastien Maillard, the pope demonstrates once again his wise and mature grasp of the issues. In the interview, he acknowledges the limits of Europe's ability to absorb refugees while focusing on the larger picture of why there are so many migrants. Francis cites an unjust global economy in which, "the great majority of humanity's wealth has fallen into the hands of a minority of the population." He blames arms traffickers for fomenting profitable conflict. And he criticizes the counterproductive consequences of Western intervention: "In the face of Islamic terrorism, it would therefore be better to question ourselves about the way in [which] an overly Western model of democracy has been exported to countries such as Iraq, where a strong government previously existed. Or in Libya, where a tribal structure exists. We cannot advance without taking these cultures into account. As a Libyan said recently, 'We used to have one Gaddafi, now we have fifty.' The pope also calls on Europe to "rediscover its capacity to integrate," which had once characterized its long history. If Pope Francis represents the inclusive universal spirit, Donald Trump and his xenophobic counterparts in France, Austria -- where elections this weekend will likely see the victory of the far-right -- and elsewhere represent the exclusivist nationalist spirit that searches for scapegoats instead of ...
Source: Science - The Huffington Post - Category: Science Source Type: news