Pope Francis, Polish President Andrzej Duda and first lady Agata Kornhauser-Duda arrive for a meeting with government authorities and the diplomatic corps in the courtyard of Wawel Royal Castle in Krakow, Poland, July 27.
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In a speech to President Andrzej Duda and his Government in Krakow’s historic Wawel Castle, he pointedly called for “a spirit of readiness to welcome those fleeing from wars and hunger, and solidarity with those deprived of their fundamental rights”.
The head of the Catholic Church described Father Jacques Hamel, who was forced to his knees by suspected militants who then slit his throat, as a saintly priest, but said he was one of many innocents who had died.
The murder compounded security fears surrounding Francis’ trip, which were already high due to a string of violent attacks in France and Germany. Polish officials say they have deployed tens of thousands of security officials to cover the event.
Worry about bad weather prompted a last-minute change in Pope Francis’ travel plans Thursday during his Polish pilgrimage, with the pontiff opting to take a vehicle instead of a military helicopter to a shrine cherished by Poles as their spiritual capital.
The pope told them: “Some of you might think ‘this pope is ruining our evening.’ But it’s the truth and we need to get used to the good things and bad things”. There is war for interests, there is war for money, there is war for the resources of nature, there is war for the domination of peoples: this is war.
“I am not speaking of a war of religions”. Religions don’t want war. “Others want war. Do you understand?” he said.
He also reiterated earlier remarks likening the current violence to a Third War III in “segments”.
It will be Francis’ first visit to Poland, a predominantly Catholic country that is still proud of the late pontiff, St. John Paul II, who served as priest and archbishop in Krakow before becoming pope. “This is the war”, he said. Prime Minister Beata Szydlo knelt and kissed his papal ring. “The world today badly needs values, it needs faith and goodness, all of which Your Holiness is bringing”.
“The word we hear a lot is insecurity, but the real word is war”.
Poland’s memory and identity are the two catalysts that will lead the country forward and turn hopeless situations – such as those facing migrants – into opportunities for future generations, Pope Francis said. “There was the one in 14, one in 39-45 and now this”, he said referring to World War I and II. Francis wants to pray silently at the sites and will also visit the place in Auschwitz where a priest gave his life to save a fellow camp inmate.
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Pope Francis, who has brought attention to the plight of migrants in the past, met with 15 young refugees prior to his departure to Krakow.
