Pope breaks the silence

The daily La Repubblica comments on the speech delivered yesterday by Pope Benedict XVI during the Angelus prayer, in which he brought up the subject of illegal immigration in Europe: "[The speech] breaks the silence and signifies the end of the soft, conventional policy. The Pope calls on European countries to take in irregular immigrants. ... With just a few words the Pope tore the veil of silence and deafness." However, the paper adds, the Pope made no direct reference to Italy's much criticised immigration policy, for "the situation described by Pope Ratzinger pertains to the phenomenon of immigration in general, a historical process that must be approached through an effective policy in keeping with the spirit of the Christian faith. The Church, however, will not let itself be caught up by politics and certainly not by neo-conservative severity. The failure of the ruling party's attempts to win over the leadership of the Church is becoming apparent."

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