The Pope Compares Populism to Hitler’s Rise
Jose Nino
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Pope Francis is one of the most notable leaders to be afflicted by Trump Derangement Syndrome.
According to Vatican News, the pope told reporters that “I see that many people of good will, not only Catholics, are a bit gripped by fear, which is the usual message of populism.”
The pope continued:
They sow fear and then make decisions. Fear is the beginning of dictatorships.
Francis also drew tired parallels to the time leading up to the rise of Nazi Germany:
Let’s go back to the last century, to the fall of the Weimar Republic. I repeat this a lot. Germany needed a way out and, with promises and fears, Hitler came forward.
The religious leader emphasized the need to learn from history:
We know the result. Let’s learn from history, this is not new: To sow fear is to make a harvest of cruelty, closures, and even sterility
Francis also expressed concerns with President Trump’s border wall and other border fences going up in the Spanish autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla.
When asked specifically about these walls, the pope claimed that “builders of walls, whether they are of razor-wire or brick, will become prisoners of the walls they build. That’s history.”
The pope then said, “we need bridges and we feel pain when we see people who prefer to build walls.”
On the other hand, the pope praised open borders advocates saying that “Those who build bridges, on the other hand, will go far. Building bridges for me is something almost superhuman, it takes a very great effort.”
The pope concluded:
Walls, however, are against communication, they are for isolation and those who build them will become prisoners.
Francis didn’t acknowledge the large walls surrounding Vatican City or call for their demolition in his speech railing against “walls.”
Despite the pope’s hand-wringing, Europeans are quickly realizing the dangers of open borders.
No-go zones have already emerged in countries like Germany, while the assimilation of migrants continues to be a headache for many other European countries.
This has resulted in the rise of populist governments like Matteo Salvini’s governing coalition in Italy, which has put the clamps on illegal migration so far.
Even in America, as BLP reported, the majority of GOP voters believe that immigration is the number one issue that should be tackled during the 2020 elections.
Unlike most elitist political figures, many voters understand the importance of having secure borders and immigration systems that bring in quality migrants who gel well with their new place of residency.
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