Pope Francis said farewell to around two million pilgrims who flocked to Kraków, southern Poland, for World Youth Days with a mass on the final day of the event on Sunday.
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The pope told reporters: “If I talk about Islamic violence, then I also have to talk of Catholic violence”.
“In nearly all religions there is always a small group of fundamentalists”, even in the Catholic Church, the pope said, though not necessarily physically violent. “Sometimes parishioners have been told by the parish priest, ‘No, that’s too political-it’s not aligned with Catholic values.’ No priest can say that now”.
“If I have to talk about Islamic violence I have to talk about Christian violence”.
He explained that he reads stories in newspapers all the time about Catholics committing violence against a girlfriend or mother-in-law.
“Today is a day of tears”, Pope Francis said Friday, October 4, 2013, as he spoke of a shipwreck off the tiny Italian island of Lampedusa a day earlier, in which at least 111 people died.
Pope Francis aboard a plane.
“I ask myself how many young people that we Europeans have left devoid of ideals, who do not have work”.
He had been asked by a journalist when he never used the word “Islam” while describing terrorism or violence.
“It is not right and it is not true”.
It came as Pope Francis made an unscheduled stop at a church in Krakow to pray to God to protect people from a “devastating wave” of terrorism in many parts of the world. Although small, the tumble shocked many as Pope Francis was captured in hundreds of photos trying to keep his balance. “Once justice speaks, I will speak”, he said. Victims groups have called on the pope to sack Pell. Terrorism is everywhere. You think of tribal terrorism of some African countries. This is a basic terrorism against all of humanity!
The attackers forced the priest to his knees and slit his throat.
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“Touch the hearts of terrorists so that they may recognize the evil of their actions and may turn to the way of peace and goodness, of respect for the life and for the dignity of every human being, regardless of religion, origin, wealth or poverty”.
