Will Pope Leo’s Visit Bring Real Change?

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Transcript

00:00I often think, you know, we see these big visits by the Pope.

00:03Do you think his visit is historic?

00:07And do you think that it's good to bring other faith leaders together?

00:12Or is it just mostly a symbolic gesture?

00:15Can anything actually massively change in the Middle East after his visit?

00:20I think anything that brings together different people from different cultures,

00:25religions, backgrounds, is always a good thing.

00:27Yeah. And irrespective of whether it is just a symbolic gesture,

00:32it's got people talking about, you know, the tenets that you talked about,

00:35unity and faith and love and forgiveness and working together.

00:40So, and it doesn't mean, you know, if something is just a symbolic,

00:43that it doesn't have its merits.

00:45So papal visits can be apolitical, but we've seen Pope Leo time and time again

00:49use his platform to talk about issues that are close to his heart.

00:53He has talked about immigration, he has talked about poverty,

00:56and he's talked about human rights, and he's shone a light on those.

01:00So he is there to promote the message of unity, peace,

01:04reconciliation across different faiths and backgrounds.

01:07And I do think that these are, papal visits are,

01:10irrespective of your religion, they are once-in-a-lifetime opportunities.

01:15These are large-scale events where, you know, hundreds of thousands of people

01:21are flocking to see Pope Leo.

01:24And it brings people together, irrespective of your faith.

01:27You know, you're in big crowds, you're talking to the people around you.

01:31Why are you here? You know, how far have you come?

01:33So it brings people together in that kind of way.

01:37Now, the symbolism is great, but as well, it's nicer if it translates into actual concrete action,

01:47turning that goodwill into actual things.

01:50So that's to be seen.

01:52Obviously, the visit is ongoing, and we'll see what comes of it.

01:55But I do think the powerful message of where he is visiting

01:59is almost the concrete action in itself.