WORLD NEWS JANUARY 7, 2019 / 7:54 AM / UPDATED 26 MINUTES AGO

Pope Francis warns of resurgent nationalism, urges help for migrants

Philip Pullella
3 MIN READ

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis warned on Monday against a resurgence of nationalist and populist movements and criticized countries that try to solve the migration crisis with unilateral or isolationist actions.

The pope, speaking to diplomats in an annual speech known informally as his “state of the world” address, suggested such movements and closed-door policies were turning the clock back 100 years to the dangerous period between the world wars.

Relationships within the international community “are experiencing a period of difficulty, with the resurgence of nationalistic tendencies,” he said, making dialogue between countries and hurting the most vulnerable members of society, including migrants.

Populist anti-immigrant parties made gains in a number of countries last year, including Italy, France, the Netherlands, Hungary, Brazil and Poland.

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