VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Nations that actively engage in arms dealing and help foment war in other countries should not expect to find peace in their own lands, Pope Francis said.
During a wide-ranging interview with the Spanish news program “Salvados,” which aired March 31, the pope was asked his opinion by journalist Jordi Evole regarding the Spanish government’s sale of weapons to Saudi Arabia, which is currently engaged in a conflict with Yemen.
The pope said that while he was saddened by the country’s action, Spain “isn’t the only country” involved in arms dealing.
Countries that sell arms, he said, “have no right to talk about peace. They are fomenting war in another country, and then they want peace in their own land.”
He said it has a “boomerang” effect in which there’s always a price to pay when taking a life. “If you start war over there, you’re going to have it at home whether you want it or not.”
Asked about migration in Europe, the pope cited the book of Deuteronomy, saying the act of welcoming migrants is “a Christian attitude.”
While countries like Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan have received millions of migrants from Syria, the pope said he was “saddened” and did “not understand the insensitivity” toward migrants facing the injustices of war, hunger and exploitation.
“For me,” he said, “Europe’s biggest problem is that they have forgotten. They forgot that after the war, their children went knocking on the doors of America, North and South America; they forgot. And along with that, (Europe) doesn’t grow. We are living in a demographic winter.”
Although birth rates in Europe continue to decline, some countries continue to reject migrants, thus running the risk not having a future, he said.
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