Pope Franciss appeal for Poland to welcome refugees may remain unanswered

Dr Simona Guerra (pictured, left) has written an article for Think: Leicester, the University’s platform for independent academic opinion, discussing Pope Francis’s recent visit to Poland during the World Youth Day gathering to mark the 1,050th anniversary of Poland's adoption of Christianity.

While Pope Francis appealed for people to show a merciful heart towards refugees and to welcome them into the country, Dr Guerra suggests that his call for mercy may remain unanswered due to the government and its concerns about the consequences of EU integration.

In the article she said: “While the European Commission stressed that it is important not to confuse the refugees’ crisis with security, Poland is currently again under the spotlight, after the January Constitutional crisis, as the Commission has given a three-month notice to take action to protect the rule of law in the country, before it may launch the unprecedented Article 7 procedure.

“Meanwhile Pope Francis’s appeals may remain unanswered, while he met with Polish bishops in private, and repeated his call for mercy before leaving on Sunday late afternoon.”

• The full article ‘The World Youth Day is coming home’ by Dr Simona Guerra is available here
• Press release