Pope urges Bulgarians to open hearts, homes to migrants

Pope Francis on Sunday urged Bulgarians to open their hearts and homes to migrants, calling on government officials to reverse their closed-borders stance. 

“To all Bulgarians, who are familiar with the drama of emigration, I respectfully suggest that you not close your eyes, your hearts or your hands — in accordance with your best tradition — to those who knock at your door,” he said in a speech at the presidential palace in Sofia, Bulgaria, according to The Associated Press.  

{mosads}Francis, who is in Bulgaria for a two-day visit, has made the plight of refugees and migrants central to his message, encouraging European countries to resist the spike in anti-immigrant furor. 

Bulgaria, the poorest country in the European Union, has built a fence along its border with Turkey and has called for the European Union (EU) to close its borders to migrants, the AP noted.

The country is also facing an immigration crisis, losing its population faster than any other country, according to the United Nations. 

Francis on Sunday urged the Bulgarian government to work to reverse the “new demographic winter,” saying the emigration crisis “descended like a curtain of ice on a large part of Europe, the consequence of a diminished confidence in the future,” according to the AP.

“Strive to create conditions that lead young people to invest their youthful energies and plan their future, as individuals and families, knowing that in their homeland they can have the possibility of leading a dignified life,” Francis reportedly said.

Francis also said was “familiar with the drama of emigration.” 

The pope’s visit comes three weeks before the EU elections, in which anti-migrant parties are expected to see some wins.