Pope, in press conference, discusses French election, Korea crisis, refugee camps

May 01, 2017

As he returned from his apostolic journey to Egypt on April 29, Pope Francis responded to a variety of questions during an in-flight press conference.

Addressing a question about the French election and populism, he said:

It is true that Europe is in danger of dissolving … there is an issue that scares Europe and perhaps feeds … the issue is emigration. This is true. But let’s not forget that Europe was made by migrants, centuries and centuries of migrants. We are them! … About France, I’ll tell the truth. I don’t understand the internal French politics. I don’t understand it.

Asked about the Korean crisis, the Pope responded:

I always say to resolve problems on the path of diplomacy, negotiation … Let’s look to these countries that are suffering an internal war, inside, where there are the fires of war, in the Middle East for example, but also in Africa, in Yemen. Let’s stop! Let’s look for a diplomatic solution! And there I believe that the United Nations has the duty to resume their leadership, because it’s been watered down a bit.

The Pope also appeared to defend his recent description of European refugee camps as “concentration camps.”

“There are concentration camps, sorry, refugee camps that are true camps of concentration,” he said. “The sole fact of being closed without anything (to do), this is a lager! But it doesn’t have anything to do with Germany, no.” (Lager is a German word that has been used in reference to concentration camps.)

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• Posted by: feedback - May. 01, 2017 8:31 AM ET USA

  "But let’s not forget that Europe was made by migrants, centuries and centuries of migrants. We are them!" Migrants who come to rape and kill, and are unwilling to assimilate, or work is the problem. After so many vehicles driven into crowds with the intent to kill "for the glory of Allah," it would be time to get a clue.