Pope Francis granted another interview to the Italian daily newspaper La Repubblica on Monday, a day before Donald Trump won the U.S presidential elections.
According to Vatican Radio, in his conversation with journalist Eugenio Scalfari, the Pontiff noted that as the United States is experiencing a moment of political transition, his concern goes toward the suffering of refugees and immigrants.
While Francis stressed that he doesn’t judge individual politicians, he did, however, express his interest in seeing how their policies could affect the poor and marginalized.
In the interview, Pope Francis notes that, alongside the refugees fleeing from poverty and conflicts, there are also many poor people suffering in rich countries too and they fear the arrival of these new immigrants.
Insisting the greatest evil in the world today is inequality, the Pope highlighted, “We must stop this vicious cycle” and “build bridges that allow greater freedom and human rights for all.”
Speaking the day before the U.S. election, Pope Francis expressed his admiration for civil rights leader Martin Luther King, saying that love alone is capable of breaking the cycle of hatred and evil.
“Christians in the world today,” the Pope said, “number some two and a half billion people. who must share their faith by following the example of Christ himself.”
Moreover, the Holy Father commented on the world’s many Christian martyrs, who have been killed by so-called Islamic State terrorists: Wars of religion, the Pope observed, only occur when people put political power in the place of faith and mercy.
Lastly, when asked about opponents within the Catholic Church, Francis responded that while individuals see things from a variety of perspectives, faith unites all.
