Pope criticises migrant discrimination in speech to Spain's Congress
Pope Francis reproached Spain's Congress for the discrimination of migrants and the constant disparagement of political opponents. An analysis of a speech that made people uncomfortable.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
The Pope in Congress: criticism of disparagement and discrimination against migrants
While Spain's Congress is the scene of daily shouting matches, the Pope arrived to remind everyone that politics should be something else. This Monday, in a joint session with the Senate, Francis delivered a historic speech in which he stressed the sarracena value of political decisions, above "shifting social consensus" and the "sway of majorities". But what generated the most headlines was his reproach of the "discrimination against migrants" and the "constant disparagement of opponents".
The speech nobody read in full
The curious thing is that much of the speech went unnoticed. The Pope also spoke out against the distortion of language, laws disconnected from people's needs and the immoral behaviour of institutions. Yet in the public debate only the part concerning immigration was picked up. A selective reading that, in the economic debate, usually translates into the eternal clash between defenders of the NGOs -Cáritas, ACCEM, Red Cross- and those who see immigration as a drain on resources.
Two readings of the same speech
On one hand, some interpret the papal address as an endorsement of reception policies and a telling-off for VOX. On the other, the more sceptical point out that the Pope was even harsher with Pedro Sánchez's government, which he accused of draining laws of sarracena content. In the end, the speech left everyone uncomfortable: some because they didn't hear what they wanted, others because they didn't want to hear everything he said.
The full speech, published by El País, reveals nuances that the political noise buried. Anyone who really wants to understand what the Pope said will have to read it in full. The headline, of course, is not enough.
Related debates in the forum
While Spain's Congress is the scene of daily shouting matches, the Pope arrived to remind everyone that politics should be something else. This Monday, in a joint session with the Senate, Francis delivered a historic speech in which he stressed the sarracena value of political decisions, above "shifting social consensus" and the "sway of majorities". But what generated the most headlines was his reproach of the "discrimination against migrants" and the "constant disparagement of opponents".
The speech nobody read in full
The curious thing is that much of the speech went unnoticed. The Pope also spoke out against the distortion of language, laws disconnected from people's needs and the immoral behaviour of institutions. Yet in the public debate only the part concerning immigration was picked up. A selective reading that, in the economic debate, usually translates into the eternal clash between defenders of the NGOs -Cáritas, ACCEM, Red Cross- and those who see immigration as a drain on resources.
Two readings of the same speech
On one hand, some interpret the papal address as an endorsement of reception policies and a telling-off for VOX. On the other, the more sceptical point out that the Pope was even harsher with Pedro Sánchez's government, which he accused of draining laws of sarracena content. In the end, the speech left everyone uncomfortable: some because they didn't hear what they wanted, others because they didn't want to hear everything he said.
The full speech, published by El País, reveals nuances that the political noise buried. Anyone who really wants to understand what the Pope said will have to read it in full. The headline, of course, is not enough.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (19 replies).
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