Page 9 - ATD20Febr2016

WORLD NEWS 9
Vatican: Pope not
singling out Trump
with his remarks the prospect of even tight-
FRANCES D’EMILIO
Associated Press
VATICAN CITY (AP) — A
spokesman for Pope Fran-
cis insisted Friday the pon-
tiff was “in no way” launch-
ing an attack on Donald
Trump, a U.S. presidential
candidate, nor was he try-
ing to sway voters by de-
claring someone who ad-
vocates building walls isn’t
Christian.
The Rev. Federico Lom-
bardi, in an interview on
Vatican Radio, stressed
that Francis often speaks
about building bridges, not
walls, and that his remark
on Thursday wasn’t “a per-
sonal attack” on the busi-
ness mogul.
Flying back to Rome from
a pilgrimage that included
Mass at the Mexican side
of the border with the Unit-
ed States, Francis, answer-
ing a reporter’s question,
had said that a person who
advocates building walls is
“not Christian.”
Trump, who has repeat-
edly called for a wall to
divide the U.S. and Mexico
while campaigning for No-
vember’s election, quickly
retorted it was “disgrace-
ful” to question a person’s
faith.
On Friday, Lombardi
sought to put the pope’s
comments in context, say-
ing they were “in no way
a personal attack or an in-
dication on how to vote.”
The radio interviewer told
Lombardi that many have
seen the comment as a
kind of “excommunica-
tion, if we can call it that,” tack in Jerusalem’s Old
of Trump.
“But the pope said what
we well know, when we
follow his teaching and his
positions: that one mustn’t
build walls, but bridges,”
Lombardi said.q
Saturday 20 February 2016
Austria, Hungary highlight disarray over migrants
BERLIN (AP) — Austria raised A registration tent for migrants stands behind the border fence to Slovenia in Spielfeld, Austria,
Friday, Feb. 19, 2016. In the latest in a series of uncoordinated and unilateral measures by nations,
er limits on the number of Austria announced that it would allow no more than 80 people a day to apply for asylum at its
asylum seekers entering the southern border points, as of Friday.
country Friday while Hun-
gary said it is shutting three (AP Photo/Ronald Zak)
railway border crossings
with Croatia, highlighting sumed there had been “a boring countries. closed. In Munich, the most
the disarray within the Euro- weather problem” in the In Hungary, Interior Minister prominent domestic critic
pean Union over migrants. Aegean Sea between Tur- Sandor Pinter said his coun- of Merkel’s open-door ap-
EU leaders at a summit in key and Greece a couple try is closing three railway proach demanded results
Brussels made little head- of days ago. “We will sub- crossings with Croatia to from the summit with Tur-
way in the elusive search sequently have to reduce block any migrants enter- key next month. Bavarian
for joint solutions to the in- the daily upper limits fur- ing — a move he said was governor Horst Seehofer,
flux of refugees and other ther,” she was quoted as prompted by Croatian au- who heads the smallest of
migrants, though they did saying by the Austria Press thorities sending a trainload three parties in Germany’s
agree to hold a meeting Agency. She didn’t name of people toward Hungary governing coalition, reiter-
in early March with Turkey. a timeframe or number but under police escort. ated calls for tougher bor-
German Chancellor An- said such moves would be Pinter didn’t specify when der controls and a German
gela Merkel in particular consulted on with neigh- the crossings would be cap on refugees.q
views diplomacy with Tur-
key, from where hundreds
of thousands have crossed
to EU member Greece, as
key to resolving the crisis.
Meanwhile, countries are
pressing ahead with uni-
lateral measures. Austria
is allowing a maximum 80
people a day to apply for
asylum at its southern bor-
der points as of Friday, a
move it took despite claims
it was illegal.
The decision wasn’t im-
mediately put to the test,
though, with the main
Spielfeld border crossing
from Slovenia empty. Po-
lice spokesman Fritz Grund-
nig said the reason wasn’t
clear but that officers as-
3 Palestinians killed in separate attacks on Israeli forces
IAN DEITCH In the Jerusalem attack, Palestinian attackers have killed him, the military said.
Associated Press police spokeswoman Luba carried out numerous as- Later, in separate clashes
JERUSALEM (AP) — Three Samri said the 20-year- saults at the Damascus near Bethlehem, also in the
Palestinian attackers were old Palestinian “walked Gate over the past five West Bank, the military said
killed in separate assaults through Damascus Gate months, prompting Israel to two Palestinians shot at sol-
on Israeli forces on Friday, and then turned around significantly beef up secu- diers who returned fire, kill-
including a stabbing at- with a knife in his hand, rity there in response. ing one and wounding the
ran at the officers and at- The other two attacks on other.
City that left two Israeli of- tacked them.” Friday took place in the The assaults were the lat-
ficers wounded before one West Bank during clashes est in months of near-daily
of them overpowered and One of the officers suffered with soldiers. A Palestinian Palestinian attacks against
killed the attacker. knife wounds to the head, rammed his car into Israeli civilians and security per-
The assaults were the latest she said, the other was cut troops during a “violent sonnel, mostly stabbings,
in a five month-long wave in the hand and struggled riot” near the West Bank shootings and attacks in
of Palestinian violence that with the attacker before city of Ramallah before which cars are used to ram
shows no sign of abating. shooting him. troops opened fire and into Israelis. q