Francis was responding to a question about the killing on July 26 of an 85-year-old Roman Catholic priest by knife-wielding attackers.
Francis was responding to a question about the killing on July 26 of an 85-year-old Roman Catholic priest by knife-wielding attackers.
Vatican City: Pope Francis said on Sunday that it was wrong to identify Islam with violence and that social injustice and idolatry of money were among the prime causes of terrorism.
-"I think it is not right to identity Islam with violence,-" he told reporters aboard the plane taking him back to Rome after a five-day trip to Poland. -"This is not right and this is not true.-"
Francis was responding to a question about the killing on July 26 of an 85-year-old Roman Catholic priest by knife-wielding attackers who burst into a church service in western France, forced the priest to his knees and slit his throat. The attack was claimed by Islamic State.
-"I think that in nearly all religions there is a always a small fundamentalist group,-" he said, adding -"We have them,-" referring to Catholicism.
-"I don't like to talk about Islamic violence because every day when I look at the papers I see violence here in Italy - someone killing his girlfriend, someone killing his mother-in-law. These are baptized Catholics,-" he said.
-"If I speak of Islamic violence, I have to speak of Catholic violence. Not all Muslims are violent,-" he said. He said there were various causes of terrorism.
-"I know it dangerous to say this but terrorism grows when there is no other option and when money is made a god and it, instead of the person, is put at the center of the world economy,-" he said.
-"That is the first form of terrorism. That is a basic terrorism against all humanity. Let's talk about that,-" he said.
When he started the trip on Wednesday, Francis said the killing of the priest and a string of string of other attacks were proof the -"world is at war-" but that it was not caused by religion.
He told reporters on the plane that lack of economic opportunities for young people in Europe was also to blame for terrorism.
-"I ask myself how many young people that we Europeans have left devoid of ideals, who do not have work. Then they turn to drugs and alcohol or enlist in ISIS,-" he said, referring to the group also known as Islamic State.
