Pope Francis
Photo: AP
[From article]
Europe’s era of philosophy and “great ideas” has been replaced by the "bureaucratic technicalities” of European Union institutions, Pope Francis has warned.
In a speech that was highly critical of contemporary political culture, the Pope told the European Parliament that the EU was in danger of being seen as “downright harmful” to Europe’s peoples.
“In recent years, as the EU has expanded, there has been growing mistrust on the part of citizens towards institutions considered to be aloof, engaged in laying down rules perceived as insensitive to individual peoples, if not downright harmful,” he told MEPs.
“The great ideas which once inspired Europe seem to have lost their attraction, only to be replaced by the bureaucratic technicalities of its institutions.”
[. . .]
Using words that could equally be addressed to multinational corporations or powerful EU institutions such as the European Central Bank, Pope Francis described democracy as being at risk from “unseen empires”.
“The true strength of our democracies – understood as expressions of the political will of the people – must not be allowed to collapse under the pressure of multinational interests which are not universal, which weaken them and turn them into uniform systems of economic power at the service of unseen empires,” he said.
[. . .]
“In my view, one of the most common diseases in Europe today is the loneliness typical of those who have no connection with others. This is especially true of the elderly, who are often abandoned to their fate, and also in the young who lack clear points of reference and opportunities for the future,” he said
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/
Pope Francis warns 'bureaucracy is crushing Europe'
Pope Francis warns that EU is in danger of being "perceived as insensitive to individual peoples, if not downright harmful"
By Bruno Waterfield, Strasbourg
10:33AM GMT 25 Nov 2014
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