ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE—Pope Francis warned on Monday that widespread youth unemployment was creating a jobless generation as he traveled to Brazil on the first foreign trip of his papacy.
Speaking to reporters at the start of a 12-hour flight to Rio de Janeiro, the Argentine pope swiftly set the tone for his weeklong trip to Brazil by criticizing labor markets that he said treated young people as "disposable."
Associated Press
In this photo provided by the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, Pope Francis greets Italian Premier Enrico Letta at Rome's Leonardo Da Vinci international airport on Monday.
Related Coverage
- Pope Visits Brazil During Pivotal Time for Country (07/21/2013)
- Pope Appoints Panel to Guide Vatican Administration (07/19/2013)
- Pope Begins Vatican Overhaul (04/14/2013)
- How the Pope Was Picked (04/14/2013)
"We risk having a generation that hasn't held a job. Personal dignity comes from working, from earning your bread. Young people are in a crisis," the pope said.
The global economic malaise is likely to loom large during the papal trip. Pope Francis, history's first pontiff from the global south, has focused his papacy on ministering to the poor—in a message that is likely to resonate in Brazil and other emerging economies, where a recent slowdown in growth is highlighting persistent income inequality and exacerbating public frustrations with perceived government largess.
"We have all become accustomed to this disposable culture," the pope said. "With all the young people out of work, even they are affected by a culture in which everything is disposable."
The pope will arrive in Brazil at a tense time. Cities across the country have been the stage of mass protests involving students over government plans to raise public transportation tariffs and spend billions to host events such as the next World Cup.
With his remarks, Pope Francis aligns himself with many of the protesters, even as some locals have begun to question the cost of his own visit.
Vatican officials have declined to put a price tag on Brazil hosting the million pilgrims that are expected to join the pope in Rio de Janeiro. Instead, officials are emphasizing his plans to visit a slum as well as a hospital that treats drug addicts.
The pope met with reporters for nearly an hour, a departure from the brief meetings preferred by his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI. But unlike Pope Benedict, he declined to take questions.
"I don't give interviews," the pope said. "For me they are a bit tiring, but thank you for the company."
Journalists, the pope joked, "aren't saints; I'm here among lions."
Nenhum comentário:
Postar um comentário