Earlier this month, Pope Francis called Europe’s migrant crisis a veritable “Arab invasion”, and framed the inundation of primarily Muslim migrants in the context of invasions that Europe has suffered in the past, immediately adding: “How many invasions has Europe suffered in its history!” Alongside a photo published on Instagram, Systrom described the meeting as one of the most memorable experiences of his life.
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These people suffer due to a loss of land, a lack of food, and they “don’t feel welcome”, he said, adding that “I like it a lot when I see nations, governments, who open their hearts and open their doors” to the migrants and refugees seeking to enter.
Pope Francis spoke to the almost 40,000 pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square for his his March 16 general audience.
The Pope considered the “the many dark valleys”, and “misfortunes”, and “the fact there are so many people dying of hunger, there is war, there are so many children with disabilities” – some of whom are suffering from a “rare disease”.
“In these cases, one can ask where is God, and how is it possible that so much suffering can befall people, and that even when they try to enter somewhere else, doors are closed to them and they’re there at the border because many doors and many hearts are closed”.
“Three days ago a homeless person died here, on the street”, the Pope said, according to Vatican Radio’s translation: “he died of cold”.
Francis has regularly spoken out on Europe’s migrant crisis.
“We must not give in to despair”, he said, but continue “to be confident that good overcomes evil and that the Lord dries every tear and frees us from every fear”.
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As we are forced to face these “dark valleys” of our time, he said, the only answer is to trust in God.
