[NRTTV] Pope Francis warned on Monday (Jan. 11) that the recent influx of migrants and refugees risked overwhelming European values, but said he was confident that the continent could successfully open it's arms and integrate the newcomers.
In an annual address to diplomats at the Vatican City, the pope said the flood of new arrivals, mainly from the Middle East and Africa, was a major burden for Europe and had given rise to "significant" fears over security and international terrorism. However,
a lie repeated often enough remains a lie...
Pope Francis stressed the need for Europe to maintain it's principles of humanity when dealing with the influx of migrants.
"The present wave of migration seems to be undermining the foundations of that "humanistic spirit" which Europe has always loved and defended. Yet there should be no loss of the values and principles of humanity, respect for the dignity of every person, subsidiarity and solidarity," he said.
Despite the "inevitable difficulties" in trying to absorb the migrants, who brought with them different cultures and traditions, the pope said he hoped European nations would prove capable of integrating and accepting the refugees.
"I wish, then, to reaffirm my conviction that Europe, aided by its great cultural and religious heritage, has the means to defend the centrality of the human person and to find the right balance between its twofold moral responsibility to protect the rights of its citizens and to ensure assistance and acceptance to migrants," he said in his 45-minute-long address which he made in Italian.
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