Under the immense art deco chandelier of the Cercle Cité in Luxembourg, Steve Heiliger prepared to listen to the pope on Thursday midday. “In 1985, the predecessor of his predecessor (St. John Paul II, the first pope to visit Luxembourg) came to address the Catholics. Today, we are receiving the head of state (of the Vatican) above all,” remarked the country’s Economic and Social Council president. Did he expect a speech about aid to poor countries or tax justice? “Luxembourg is exemplary in terms of cooperation, practically a model student,” he said, somewhat awkwardly.
With this visit, Pope Francis will have traveled to two of the three countries with the highest wealth per capita in the world. After visiting Singapore in early September, ranked third, the pope began his “Benelux” tour with a day in Luxembourg, the second richest country on this list with a GDP per capita of just over $128,259 (World Bank, 2022), more than twice that of France. Only Qatar remains.
Money from arms sales
Facing Luxembourg’s political and civil authorities, Pope Francis first renewed his call for peace in Europe, seeming to lament – without explicitly saying so – the lack of negotiations with Russia and the ongoing arms deliveries to Ukraine.
“Unfortunately, we are seeing the re-emergence, even on the European continent, of rifts and enmities that, instead of being resolved on the basis of mutual goodwill, negotiation, and diplomatic efforts, are resulting in open hostilities, leading to destruction and death,” he said, without mentioning specific examples. However, he expressed his sadness “that today there is a European country where those investments that give the highest return come from the production of weapons.” Under the 20th-century moldings and grand red curtains of the Cercle Cité, the Argentine pope more broadly urged the 300 politicians and members of Luxembourg’s civil society present not to forget that “having wealth includes responsibility.” This, he said at midday, was the heart of the matter.
“I ask for constant vigilance so that the most disadvantaged nations will not be neglected, and that they be helped to rise from their impoverished conditions,” continued Francis, who has repeatedly called in the past for the cancellation of debt for countries in the Global South.
As he did on September 9, from one of the poorest countries in the world, East Timor, the pope called not only for better welcoming of migrants but also for efforts to address the causes of migration. “This is a key path to reducing the number of people forced to migrate, often in inhumane and dangerous conditions,” he said, urging Luxembourg to be “an aid and example in showing the way forward in welcoming and integrating migrants and refugees.” The country’s aging population consists of 47.3% foreigners.
The benefits of cooperation
Welcomed a few hours before this first speech at the airport with a banner that read, “Welcome to Luxembourg, the European Capital,” Pope Francis also addressed representatives of the European Union present at the Cercle Cité. “Your country has drawn upon its history – for history is a teacher of life – and distinguished itself in its commitment to building a united and fraternal Europe in which each country, be it large or small, might have its own role,” said the pope, who reminded the audience of the presence in the city of the Court of Justice, the Court of Auditors, and the European Investment Bank
“Luxembourg can show everyone the advantages of peace as opposed to the horrors of war, of the integration and promotion of migrants as opposed to their segregation,” he concluded. “You likewise show the benefits of cooperation between nations as opposed to the harmful consequences of hardening positions and the selfish and short-sighted or even violent pursuit of one’s own interests,” the pope added, despite the fact Luxembourg is regularly criticized for its legislation favoring tax evasion.
The pope is visiting the country just as the local Caritas is embroiled in a major embezzlement scandal, revealed in July by Luxembourg’s 100.7 radio station. Indeed, 61 million euros ($67.8 million) are believed to have been siphoned off within the charitable organization, leaving its employees fearing for their jobs and the survival of humanitarian projects. “Save the Caritas Foundation,” read a sign held up this afternoon outside the palace where Francis was speaking.
In the afternoon, the pope continued his visit with a meeting of clergy and religious members at the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Luxembourg before boarding a plane to Melsbroek Air Base in Belgium. On his flight to Luxembourg, Francis briefly addressed journalists on the flight from Rome but did not greet them individually as he usually does. This week, the 87-year-old pope appeared tired; on Monday, “flu-like” symptoms forced him to lighten his schedule during what promises to be a busy week.
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Publish date : 2024-09-27 03:24:00
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