before Pope Francis, the political positions of these predecessors

The Vélodrome stadium in Marseille was transformed on Saturday September 23 into an open-air cathedral to host Pope Francis’ mass in front of 60,000 faithful. A visit described as historic because until now Francis had, in France, only come once to Strasbourg to the European Parliament. The Pope describes his trip to Marseille as a trip to a city that represents the theme of migrants, a subject that is very dear to him. Already in Strasbourg, in 2014, he spoke on the subject, saying that the Mediterranean had become a cemetery.

>> Pope’s visit to Marseille: Francis’ speech to defend migrants already annoys the local far-right

This very political speech may come as a surprise, but he is not the first pontiff to act in this way. These predecessors often did the same. We simply have short memories. Leo XIII, for example, in the Encyclical Rerum Novarum in 1891 signals the development of the labor movement.