Pope Francis called on Malta on Saturday for a massive response from the international community in the face of the “immigration emergency” worsening with the Ukraine war. He denounced President Putin for not explicitly stating his nationalist interests.
Speaking shortly after arriving in Valletta before President Jorge Vella and his diplomatic corps, the sovereign pope lamented that “the darkness of war has come from Eastern Europe, from the East, where the light first arises.”
“Someone is powerful, sadly inciting nationalist interests, incitement and conflict,” he told Russian President Vladimir Putin without a doubt.
The “spells of authoritarianism” and “new imperialism” threaten the world with “a comprehensive Cold War that could suffocate the lives of people and generations.”
Show similarity
Faced with the conflict, which has pushed more than 4.1 million Ukrainians on deported roads, he called for “global and shared responses” to respond to the influx of people leaving their country from the south to the north or east to the west.
“Some countries cannot take responsibility for the whole problem due to the negligence of other countries!” Said the Pope. A clear critique of Malta’s immigration policy has been the constant accusation by NGOs of rescuing migrants from crossing the Mediterranean to reach Europe, closing its ports to their ambulance ships.
Fran 85ois, 85, will lead an afternoon prayer service at Tabinu National Church in Kosovo, one of the three most populous islands.
Third
John Paul II was the third pope to visit Malta after Benedict XVI in 1990 and 2001 and 2010. Prior to his arrival, he portrayed himself as a “traveler” following in the footsteps of St. Paul, the island’s patron saint.
If Catholicism is still enshrined in the Maltese constitution, then religion has suffered a sharp decline in recent years and the pope should promote the gospel in an environment where businesses are declining.
In his speech, the pope likened the virtues of “honesty, justice, sense of duty and transparency” to “illegality and corruption,” which tarnishes Malta’s reputation.
The small state that is part of the EU is actually based on a portion of its economic prosperity based on online games, offshore companies and the popular “golden passports” that provide residency or nationality to the rich. Is sometimes doubtful.
The murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galicia in 2017 shocked the country and the world, reviving accusations of laxity surrounding the scourge.
Close to people
His 36th foreign trip since being elected in 2013 is an opportunity to discover his traditional “papamobile” to greet the large crowd of believers on his way through the streets of the capital.
On Sunday, the leader of 1.3 billion Catholics will meditate in St Paul’s Cave – the patron saint of the island that sank in the 60s, according to Christian tradition – and then celebrate Mass and Angeles in Floriana, near Valletta. About 10,000 devotees are expected to attend. He will also meet immigrants at the reception center in the Hall For area.
This article was automatically published. Sources: ats / afp
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