Greek election mess bears out Pope’s EU prophecy

In November last year Pope Francis delivered a speech to the European parliament that caught many off guard. Though Francis introduced his words as “a message of hope and encouragement to all the citizens of Europe” the headlines and those listening were more taken with an unexpectedly critical description of Europe as a “‘grandmother’, no longer fertile and vibrant.” The far-left party Syriza, which after winning Greece’s general election is to lead a coalition with the centre-right Greek Independents, has just delivered the same message loud and clear. Syriza's leader Alexis Tsipras has said the EU-imposed austerity programme "destroys our common European future" and has pledged to restore "dignity back to the people". If the EU does not respon