Pope Francis has met the President of the European Parliament ahead of his trip to its headquarters in Strasbourg next month.
After the 40-minute meeting at the Vatican President Martin Schultz said he wanted more Europeans to share the Latin American Pope’s vision of Europe, which he described as: “the union of peoples, as an opportunity for a peace policy – this too of course – he also sees Europe as an instrument, an opportunity, in this multipolar world we live in.”
He told Vatican Radio that he was looking forward to the Pope’s address to the European Parliament, and drew comparisons between issues of social justice that the Pope had raised and the decisions made by the 750-member body.
“If you look at the resolutions and decisions of the European Parliament, you will see that the subject of social justice, mass unemployment, particularly among young people – a threat to social cohesion – is a recurring issue in our debates.”
Parliamentarians were preparing to give Pope Francis “a unanimous warm and enthusiastic welcome” on 25 November, Vatican Radio reported.
“The European Parliament will be receiving the man who at this moment in history is probably a reference point not just for Catholics but for so many people; he is someone who gives direction in an age in which many people feel disoriented by the fast pace the world is moving at, sometimes taking very risky paths. In this context, the Pope gives courage to people with his honest linearity,” he said.
Meanwhile the Pope would be encountering a more confident and influential European Parliament, he said, adding: “It will be an important moment”.
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