Vatican
Steinmeier with the Pope – criticism of EU refugee policy
Pope Francis (left) receives Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. Photo: Divisione Produzione Fotografica / Vatican / dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
Chancellor Angela Merkel was there only recently – now Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier is visiting the head of the Catholic Church – he is directing clear words to Brussels.
Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier criticized the EU’s refugee policy after his visit to the Vatican.
He very much regrets that no common path in refugee policy has been found in Europe, said the 65-year-old on Monday after his private audience with Pope Francis. “We can now see the consequences of this in the uncoordinated behavior within the European Union.”
The Pope asked how the current refugee movements from Belarus are affecting Germany, said Steinmeier. He and the Pope had expressed agreement that the behavior of the Belarusian leadership to bring people from the Middle East and send them to different borders was not to be approved.
Prior to this, Pope Francis had received him and his wife Elke Büdenbender for just under an hour for a private audience in the Apostolic Palace. Steinmeier then spoke to Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin. For Steinmeier, a visit to the Sovereign Order of Malta in Rome was due on Monday. There he wanted to talk, among other things, about how politics and humanitarian organizations could work together even better.