Pope Francis on Saturday warned against populism, saying it could lead to the election of "saviours" like Adolf Hitler.

In an hour-long interview with Spanish newspaper El Pais conducted as Donald Trump was being sworn in as US president, the pontiff also condemned the idea of using walls and barbed wire to keep out foreigners, among them refugees and migrants.

Anti-Semitism on the political right - UpFront"Of course crises provoke fears and worries," he said, but added that for him "the example of populism in the European sense of the word is Germany in 1933".

The pope added: "Germany ... was looking for a leader, someone who would give her back her identity and there was a little man named Adolf Hitler who said 'I can do it'."

"Hitler did not steal power," the pope said. "He was elected by his people and then he destroyed his people."

The Germans at that time also wanted to protect themselves with "walls and barbed wire so that others cannot take away their identity", he said.

"The case of Germany is classic," he said, adding that Hitler gave them a "deformed identity and we know what it produced."

Pope Francis however underscored that it was too early to pass judgement on Trump.

"Let's see. Let's see what he does and then we will evaluate," he said.

In February, the pontiff in another apparent warning to Trump, said: "A person who thinks only about building walls - wherever they may be - and not building bridges, is not Christian ... I'd just say that this man is not Christian if he said it this way."

Populist surge

Populist parties are on the rise across Europe. Unemployment and austerity, the arrival of record numbers of refugees and migrants in France, Belgium and Germany have left voters disillusioned with conventional parties and led to a rise of Islamophobic sentiment and anti-refugee views.

In Germany, far-right leaders met at a conference amid protests a day earlier.

French far-right leader Marine Le Pen told several hundred supporters in the German city of Koblenz that Britain's vote last year to leave the European Union would set in train a "domino effect".

Far-right governments may change the EU A day after Trump took office in the US, Le Pen said his inauguration speech included "accents in common" with the message of reclaiming national sovereignty by the far-right leaders.

"2016 was the year the Anglo-Saxon world woke up. I am sure 2017 will be the year the people of continental Europe wake up," she said to loud applause.

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/01/pope-francis-warns-populism-citing-hitler-170122151148535.html

Myn44
Please let's have other people's views...

The pope is actually right!

Donald Dump has a mission to destroy America. And he will surely ruin it.

I pray he crashes the economy, so that this so called dollars can just crash back here in Nigeria

Let him start now before passing judgement, abi una want carry Nigeria style go another level?

Nice one! As Christians we should be building bridges not fence.

Nigeria is going to be world power
After US and Nato finish themselves
Nigeria will be world power

I believe that the White American populace are the ones pushing Trump ahead, especially the White Supremacy Advocates just like the German supremacists did.

Let's see if Trump would fall for their antics like Hitler in the Long run...

seunny4lif:

Nigeria is going to be world power
After US and Nato finish themselves
Nigeria will be world power

Exactly, anyhow it goes, Africans will be able to express more freedom in decision making activities...

The pope is a disgrace

He should stay out of politics

Amazing comments coming from a dictator who rules a fiefdom based on fairy tales and fear.Look in the mirror prelate and see what looks back at you.Indeed it is the epitome of a ruthless dictator who demands his followers (read victims) slavish devotion.The true epitome of a born again hypocrite.

A Pope worried about Nazis? In WWll it was the Pope/Vatican that sponored Nazi regimes all over Europe. In the recent Yugoslav wars, the Vatican supported Nazis in Croatia again along with Ukrainian fascists against Russia.







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