The Pope laments from Hungary the 'closed doors' to migrants

Pope Francis lamented today "the closed doors" to migrants in the homily of the mass that he presided before about 50 thousand people in the Kossuth Lajos Square in Budapest, on the last day of his three-day visit to Hungary.

In this magnificent setting, before the Hungarian Parliament, the Pope indicated to all the Christians of this country, where the government of Viktor Orbán maintains a hard-fisted policy against migration, that they are "invited to welcome and spread their love, to make their fold inclusive and never exclusive."

Francis said that Jesus "prompts to go to meet the brothers." "And let us remember this well: all of us, without exception, are called to this, to leave our comforts and have the courage to reach all the peripheries that need the light of the Gospel," he stressed.

In the presence of Orbán, who considers himself a great defender of Christian values, and the president, Katalin Novák, the pope stressed that all Christians must "go out", which means “to become, like Jesus, an open door”.

“It is sad and it hurts to see closed doors: the closed doors of our egoism towards those who walk with us every day, the closed doors of our individualism in a society that runs the risk of atrophying in solitude", lamented Francisco, who on this trip has advocated several times for the acceptance and charity towards migrants.

And he continued: “the closed doors of our indifference to those who are plunged into suffering and poverty; the doors closed to the foreigner, to the one who is different, to the migrant, to the poor”, said the pope from a country that has created barbed wire fences to prevent the passage of migrants coming from the Balkan route and that practically does not grant the right of asylum.

But on the other hand, he also criticized those who within the Church close the doors to the one who "is not in order" or "who yearns for God's forgiveness."

“Please, let's open the doors. Let us also try with words, gestures, daily activities, to be like Jesus, an open door, a door that never closes in anyone's face, a door that allows one to enter to experience the beauty of the love and forgiveness of the Lord.” added the pontiff.

In his homily he also urged bishops and priests to “do not take advantage of your position” and “do not oppress the flock that has been entrusted to you”.

And to the laity, to the catechists and "to those who have political and social responsibilities, to those who simply carry out their daily lives, sometimes with difficulty" the Argentine pope He insisted that they "be open doors."

“Be open and inclusive with each other, to help Hungary grow in brotherhood“, Francisco told them, who this afternoon after a speech to the academic and university world will return to Rome.