Pope Francis tells EU to tear down walls

Pope Francis receives the European Union’s Charlemagne Prize for his contribution to European unification at the Vatican. (Photo: AFP)

Pope Francis said on Friday he dreamed of a Europe in which “being a migrant is not a crime”, as he urged EU leaders to “tear down the walls” and build a fairer society.

Invoking the memory of the EU founding fathers’ pursuit of integration in the aftermath of World War II, the Pontiff said they inspired because they had “dared to change radically the models” that had led to war.

“Today more than ever, their vision inspires us to build bridges and tear do-wn walls,” he told a Vati-can audience including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who has been at the centre of the EU’s attempts to resolve its biggest refugee crisis since the war ended in 1945.

And in a rhetorical flourish with echoes of Martin Luther-King’s legendary “I have a dream” speech, the Pope said he dreamed of a new European humanism that embraced the poor, the elderly, the young and the sick. “I dream of a Europe where being a migrant is not a crime but a summons to greater commitment on behalf of the dignity of every human being,” he said.

Pope Francis’s comme-nts came in a speech as the 79-year-old Pontiff was presented with the EU’s Charlemagne Prize for his contribution to European unification. Having unexpectedly decided to accept the award, Pope Francis delivered a typically hard-hitting message to listeners that also included the heads of the EU’s main institutions, the council, the commission, the Parliament and its central bank.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and European Parliament President Martin Schulz explained the decision to give the award to such a prominent critic of the EU in a column for France’s Le Monde. “We are convinced that Pope Francis deserves this prize simply because he has sent Europe a message of hope,” they wrote.