Pope Francis calls on all Catholics in Europe to help refugees
Pope Francis on Sunday has called on all Catholics in Europe to house at least one refugee family to help provide shelter to the tens of thousands of Syrians seeking asylum.
The Pope's call comes as thousands of Syrians who were stuck in Hungary for days rushed into Germany and Austria. A few volunteers have begun opening their homes to these refugees, but some Germans are wondering about their country's capacity to house asylum-seekers, according to The Washington Post.
Europe is now struggling to deal with the biggest wave of refugees since the 1990s, and most of them are Muslims fleeing Syria, Iraq, and other countries. While anti-migrant European leaders have used religion as their main argument for this situation, Pope Francis has released an opinion that negates their views, the report details.
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The pope announced that the Vatican would also house two refugee families in the next few days, The Wall Street Journal reports.
Just last week, Hungary's prime minister Viktor Orban said Christianity in Europe is endangered with the arrival of the refugees who have been "raised in another religion." Ironically, Roman Catholicism is the biggest religion in Orban's country.
Slovakia announced that it will provide shelter to the refugees, albeit to Christians only. Interior ministry spokesperson Ivan Netik explained that they do not have mosques so it would be difficult for Muslims to be integrated into their community.
Pope Francis, however, challenged their views and encouraged everyone to help the refugees who badly need their help.
"Facing the tragedy of tens of thousands of refugees — fleeing death by war and famine, and journeying towards the hope of life — the Gospel calls, asking of us to be close to the smallest and forsaken," the Washington Post quotes the pontiff. "To give them a concrete hope and not just to tell them: 'Have courage, be patient!'"
