Pope Francis, the current Pope of the Catholic Church. (Andreas Solaro-AFP/Getty Images)

Nationalists Win Big in EU Elections, Pope Francis Sounds Racism Alarm

In his message for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees on Monday (5/27), Pope Francis stated that the meanness around us has heightened fears toward ‘the other’, the marginalized, the unknown, and the foreigners.

He brought up the words to warn against the rise of racism and intolerance due to the parties won in the European election were mostly the far-right nationalists and Eurosceptic.

The Pope sees the fears felt by societies toward migrants and refugees arriving to seek protection in order to build a better future. However, he believes that to some extent the fear is legitimate. He also referred to the inadequate approach of refugee integration and the lack of preparation to deal with such situation as the reasons that caused fears.

Nevertheless, he emphasized that the problem is not because people have doubts and fears, yet because of the way people think and act that make us intolerant, closed, and without a realization become a racist.

He added in the message entitled "This is not just about migrants" that the world is increasingly becoming more elitist and cruel to those excluded from the society. As the presence of migrants help us to read the ‘signs of this time’.

In Italy, France, and England the nationalist forces like Marine Le Pen, Matteo Salvini, and Nigel Farage gained significant votes in the EU Parliament elections.

Salvini’s far-right League party even did very well in Italy which considered as a migrant hot spot, including in the town which held up by the left as a model of integration and tolerance.

The Vatican sent out the papal message on such subjects in advance to provide guidance to pastors around the world to welcome the World Day of Migrants and Refugees which will be commemorated by the Catholic churches on September 29.