Pope Francis received a delegation of the World Jewish Congress, headed by Ronald S. Lauder, at the Vatican on Monday evening. The pope addressed the issues of world peace and the refugee crisis, specifically with regards to Europe. “Europe often forgets that it has been enriched by migrants. Europe is closing itself up. Europe is lacking creativity. Europe has a falling birth rate, and problems of high unemployment,” the pope said.
“We need to reflect on integration, which is important. The people who committed the terrorist attacks in Belgium were not properly integrated,” he said. Reiterating comments made to Lauder at a previous meeting, the pope said a good Christian cannot be an antisemite. He said to the Jewish leaders that Christians and Jews must speak out against brutality in the world, and that they “should go on a joint journey together to make the world more secure.” READ MORE
