Pope likens migrant holding centres to 'concentration camps'

[webfact]

Pope likens migrant holding centres to 'concentration camps'

By Philip Pullella

REUTERS

 

Pope Francis leads a mass at the Basilica of Saint Bartholomew on Tiber island in Rome, April 22, 2017. REUTERS/Maurizio Brambatti/Pool

 

ROME (Reuters) - Pope Francis urged governments on Saturday to get migrants and refugees out of holding centres, saying many had become "concentration camps".

 

During a visit to a Rome basilica, where he met migrants, Francis told of his trip to a camp on the Greek island of Lesbos last year.

 

He met a Muslim refugee from the Middle East there who told him how "terrorists came to our country". Islamists had slit the throat of the man's Christian wife because she refused to throw her crucifix on the ground.

 

"I don't know if he managed to leave that concentration camp, because refugee camps, many of them, are of concentration (type) because of the great number of people left there inside them," the pope said.

 

The American Jewish Committee (AJC) later urged the pope "to reconsider his regrettable choice of words" for using the term concentration camp.

 

"The conditions in which migrants are currently living in some European countries may well be difficult, and deserve still greater international attention, but concentration camps they certainly are not," the AJC's head, David Harris, said in a statement.

 

"The Nazis and their allies erected and used concentration camps for slave labor and the extermination of millions of people during World War II. There is no comparison to the magnitude of that tragedy," he said.

 

Francis praised countries helping refugees and thanked them for "bearing this extra burden, because it seems that international accords are more important than human rights".

 

He did not elaborate but appeared to be referring to agreements that keep migrants from crossing borders, such as deals between the European Union (EU) and Libya and the EU and Turkey. Humanitarian groups have criticised both deals.

 

The pope urged people in northern Italy, home to an anti-immigrant party, to take more migrants, hoping that the generosity of southern Italy could "infect the north a bit".

 

Noting that Italy had one of the world's lowest birth rates, he said: "If we also close the door to migrants, this is called suicide."

The basilica of St Bartholomew is a shine to Christians killed for their faith in the 20th and 21st centuries.

 

It contains a prayer book used by Father Jacques Hamel, the 85-year-old French priest killed by Islamist militants who stormed into a church in Saint-Étienne-du-Rouvray last year, forced Hamel to his knees, and slit his throat while they chanted in Arabic. His sister Roselyne attended the service.

 

(Editing by Andrew Roche and Paul Tait)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-04-24

[GeorgeCross]

remind me again how many refugees Vatican City has taken in this year?

 

oh yeah zero.

[canuckamuck]

Stupid argument over semantics. Of course the camps are a concentration of people who are not free to come and go. In that narrow sense it is similar to WW2 concentration camps. But the major difference is that these people chose to go there.  Maybe 10% are actually from a war zone. The rest are just trying to find a better life because the civilization they are leaving is a failure.  They should be sent back to fix their own mess back home.

[Scott]

The year isn't over, but I believe it was about 21 that were taken last year.  

7 minutes ago, GeorgeCross said:

remind me again how many refugees Vatican City has taken in this year?

 

oh yeah zero.

 

[Scott]

An off-topic post has been removed.  

[ELVIS123456]

The opinions of the Pope and the Ayatollah and all other religious leaders, as regards to the working of Government Laws and Regulations, should be banned. They have no more right to make 'political' comments, than any President or PM of Head of Govt has in regards to the views of God or Allah or Etc. 

 

However, having said that, if any religious group who currently claims 'separation' from Government (i.e. pays no Tax) wishes to withdraw that privilege and start paying taxes and obeying all laws and regulations, then their opinion will be valid (and maybe even welcome).

 

Until then, you useless parasite, I personally believe ALL views expressed by yourself and others like you are IRRELEVANT.

 

[Bullie]

I hope the pope burns in his self-invented hell for resembling the camps on the Greek islands to the nazi-concentration camps. There is no comparison whatsoever, apart from the fact that themigrants live concentrated in a camp. They are, however, free to leave anytime they want: the boat to Turkey awaits. Also, they are properly fed and clothed, and are given basic healthcare.

The people that went into the nazi deathcamps had to give up their very lives in the most horrible way.

The only thing the migrants have to give up is the hope on a life-long paid holiday in North-Western Europe. (80 % will never find a job).

But, then again, what can one expect from the leader of the biggest pederast club in the world.

[expat_4_life]

Simply political posturing from the Vatican.

 

If the Pope really cared about the camps he would utilize the vast wealth of the Vatican to establish something/somewhere

that he thought was more humane.

 

Virtue signaling at it's worst.

Edited April 24, 2017 by expat_4_life

[Baerboxer]

4 hours ago, GeorgeCross said:

remind me again how many refugees Vatican City has taken in this year?

 

oh yeah zero.

 

Catholic charity never begins at home! Better telling everyone else what to do rather than leading by example. And the Catholic church certainly isn't poor - no vow of poverty there.

 

 

[JHolmesJr]

Must be the first world's first concentration camps where people turn up of their own free will.

 

Sorry il Padrino, you trippin'

[Baerboxer]

1 hour ago, Bullie said:

I hope the pope burns in his self-invented hell for resembling the camps on the Greek islands to the nazi-concentration camps. There is no comparison whatsoever, apart from the fact that themigrants live concentrated in a camp. They are, however, free to leave anytime they want: the boat to Turkey awaits. Also, they are properly fed and clothed, and are given basic healthcare.

The people that went into the nazi deathcamps had to give up their very lives in the most horrible way.

The only thing the migrants have to give up is the hope on a life-long paid holiday in North-Western Europe. (80 % will never find a job).

But, then again, what can one expect from the leader of the biggest pederast club in the world.

 

I agree with your sentiments but we don't know how much history the Pope knows.

 

Concentration camps weren't invented by the Nazis or the Communists. I'm sad to say the British introduced them during the Boer War and as camps to concentrate the families of Boer Commandos who they were fighting. Whilst not specifically death camps many died there through being poorly fed, disease, poor medical and sanitary facilities. The Nazi Concentration camps and Soviet Gulags were prison camps albeit brutal and likely to ensure the mental and physical health of prisoners were broken. 

The Extermination death camps came later as part of the final solution by the Nazis.

 

However, many people now associate the term concentration camp automatically with extermination camp which isn't actually accurate.

[elgordo38]

I am sure the Pope could donate some clothing and jewels to a big online Garage Sale and donate the proceeds to the "concentration camps" If he did a Mother Theresa now that would impress the H out of me. Meanwhile join the camp of meaningless SB throwers. 

[howbri]

This man has no business leading hundred of millions of Catholics OR Christians. He's a fraud. He knows less about the bible, the true word of God, than a 2nd grader.

[ilostmypassword]

6 hours ago, canuckamuck said:

 Maybe 10% are actually from a war zone. The rest are just trying to find a better life because the civilization they are leaving is a failure.  

Source?

[Reigntax]

I wonder what he thinks of his church protecting the 1,000's of priests involved in child abuse last century some of whom are still hidden in the Vatican to avoid being questioned in the country of origin.

 

Maybe time to clean up his own house first before telling others how to clean theirs.

[ilostmypassword]

1 hour ago, JHolmesJr said:

Must be the first world's first concentration camps where people turn up of their own free will.

 

Sorry il Padrino, you trippin'

Do they choose to go to the camps or are they taken there by the authorities?

[Saradoc1972]

This guy is behaving more and more like a clown. Which is very sad, because he holds sway over multi-millions of people and could do a lot of good with more carefully voiced words, religiously.

 

I don't know what he thinks refugee camps should be like, after the Bulgarian government has reminded our own German would-be-saint, after admonishments they should make their camps a lot nicer, that the average retired citizen of theirs was living on 150€ a month average. I just know he does not have anything to tell me, because I am Protestant, which I will remedy the moment I touch German soil after some unbelievable behaviour by the Protestant church in Germany over the oh-so-evil AFD's congress this very weekend. And even so, I liked our own Benedict a lot better when he was in office.

 

Dump your empty phrases elsewhere, your Holiness!

[ilostmypassword]

5 hours ago, ELVIS123456 said:

The opinions of the Pope and the Ayatollah and all other religious leaders, as regards to the working of Government Laws and Regulations, should be banned. They have no more right to make 'political' comments, than any President or PM of Head of Govt has in regards to the views of God or Allah or Etc. 

 

However, having said that, if any religious group who currently claims 'separation' from Government (i.e. pays no Tax) wishes to withdraw that privilege and start paying taxes and obeying all laws and regulations, then their opinion will be valid (and maybe even welcome).

 

Until then, you useless parasite, I personally believe ALL views expressed by yourself and others like you are IRRELEVANT.

 

You seriously misunderstand the concept of separation of church and state. A religious leader has just as much right as anyone else to speak his or her mind. At least in the USA and in most of Europe It's true that in the USA if a religious leader uses the pulpit to endorse political candidates or movement, his or her religious institution can lose its tax exemption, but that exemption is a privilege, not a right.

[Panda13]

Screw the Pope. I talk to God all the time, and he's never mentioned the Pope.

[elgordo38]

1 hour ago, howbri said:

This man has no business leading hundred of millions of Catholics OR Christians. He's a fraud. He knows less about the bible, the true word of God, than a 2nd grader.

Public relations expert. Also reminds me of a French back alley post card pusher. 

[USPatriot]

No more room at Vatican city all of the Catholic priest child molesters have been moved there.

[nauseus]

4 hours ago, ilostmypassword said:

Do they choose to go to the camps or are they taken there by the authorities?

You lost more than just your password.

[ilostmypassword]

9 minutes ago, nauseus said:

You lost more than just your password.

Oh, an empty insult. I guess that's because you don't have the answer to my question. You can just say nothing, you know. No point in parading your lack of knowledge.

Edited April 24, 2017 by ilostmypassword

[nauseus]

Just now, ilostmypassword said:

Oh, an empty insult. I guess that's because you don't have the answer to my question. You can just say nothing, you know. That way, no one can tell how ignorant you are.

Testy!

[connda]

The pope needs to open up Vatican City to unlimited immigration as he expects other countries to do - or shut up.  Hypocrite. 

[Basil B]

They do have a lot of park land in VC that would make a great refugee camp. 

 

I am sure they could find some vino, bread and a few fish and feed them all. 

[Stargeezr]

I think that the pope and other Catholics could used their money to help the refugee problem. They could build a refugee camp in Italy and house the refugees then teach them to speak Italian, and become workers and Italian immigrants. Don't just complain about conditions somewhere else. Do something about the problem

Geezer

[Scott]

A post violating Fair Use policy has been removed.  

 

14) You will not post any copyrighted material except as fair use laws apply (as in the case of news articles). Please only post a link, the headline and the first three sentences.

[bandito]

13 hours ago, ilostmypassword said:

Do they choose to go to the camps or are they taken there by the authorities?

 

Nobody is put there against his or her will.

They're free to leave at any time and to return to where they came from.

No one is forcing them to stay.

Find a new password

[Scott]

1 minute ago, bandito said:

 

Nobody is put there against his or her will.

They're free to leave at any time and to return to where they came from.

No one is forcing them to stay.

Find a new password

They are not necessarily free to leave.   If they wish to return to their home country, they will have to prove citizenship.   If they want to return to a camp in Turkey, then Turkey has to accept them back.