The day after Pope Francis’ vibrant plea delivered in Marseille against “indifference” to the fate of migrants, several figures of the extreme right distanced themselves from the sovereign pontiff. The president of the National Rally (RN), Jordan Bardella, notably criticized on Sunday September 24 an “Argentinian” pope who “is not aware of the problem of immigration today in Europe which is destabilizing European societies”.
“When he says, Marseille is a haven of peace, allow me, like all French people, to take offense and say that he does not know Marseille,” he criticized on BFM-TV. “He chooses to have a political speech but my role is to remind him that when we call for massive immigration, when we call for the unconditional and unlimited opening of all of our borders, then we bear a responsibility for the belief and the Eldorado that these people from the continent have for themselves,” he insisted.
Describing himself as “non-believer but respecting those who have faith”, Mr. Bardella said he preferred “the wisdom of his predecessor Benedict XVI who declared that States have the right to regulate migratory flows”.
“Maritime blockade”
“What bothers me is the unrealistic and lesson-giving side of the Pope,” reacted RN deputy Jean-Philippe Tanguy, guest on the show “Political Questions” on France Inter, France Télévisions and Le World. “The French welcome (…) many foreigners, in dignified conditions,” he pleaded. The latter called for a “maritime blockade” in the Mediterranean Sea, ensured by military vessels, while specifying that it is not a question of “shooting on migrants”.
The pope’s uncompromising remarks in favor of a better reception of migrants came in a context of growing hostility in Europe towards candidates for exile and even as a new wave of arrivals on the Italian island of Lampedusa tested the solidarity of the European Union.
Since coming to power in October, the Italian government of Giorgia Meloni has restricted the activities of charity rescue ships, which it accuses of encouraging migrants, while pledging to crack down on smugglers. His partner and deputy prime minister, Matteo Salvini, Marine Le Pen’s main ally, is campaigning for a tougher approach. He closed Italian ports to migrant rescue ships while in government in 2019.
