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HOLY HELL

Pope Francis appears to compare Trump rallies to Hitler’s, backs George Floyd protests and slams destruction of statues

POPE Francis appears to compare President Donald Trump's rallies to Hitler's and praised Black Lives Matter reforms in his new book.

In the pope's 150-page book, set to be released on December 1, he supports demands for racial justice in the wake of Floyd's police murder last May.

Pope Francis' 150-page book is expected to be released on December 1
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Pope Francis' 150-page book is expected to be released on December 1Credit: Getty Images - Getty
The pope didn't name Donald Trump or the US in his book, but appeared to take aim at both
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The pope didn't name Donald Trump or the US in his book, but appeared to take aim at bothCredit: The Mega Agency

He also blasted Covid skeptics and the news media that spread conspiracies in the book, which was penned during the Vatican's coronavirus lockdown.

In parts of Let Us Dream, it appears as though Francis is directing a message directly as the United States.

Without identifying the US or Trump by name, Francis singled out Christian-majority countries where nationalist-populist leaders seek to defend Christianity from perceived enemies.

“Today, listening to some of the populist leaders we now have, I am reminded of the 1930s, when some democracies collapsed into dictatorships seemingly overnight,” Francis writes in his book.

Anti-lockdown protesters are pictured here in New York on Sunday
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Anti-lockdown protesters are pictured here in New York on Sunday Credit: Alamy Live News
A group of Trump supporters is pictured here demonstrating against lockdowns
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A group of Trump supporters is pictured here demonstrating against lockdownsCredit: Getty Images - Getty

“We see it happening again now in rallies where populist leaders excite and harangue crowds, channeling their resentments and hatreds against imagined enemies to distract from the real problems.”

The pope wrote that people fall for this type of rhetoric out of fear – rather than true religious conviction.

Francis also addressed Floyd's death earlier year, when a white police officer kneeled on the back of his neck for nine minutes, killing him.

His death sparked mass protests and ultimately a greater movement in support of the lives of black people.

Francis said of George Floyd's death that 'abuse is a gross violation of human dignity that we cannot allow'
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Francis said of George Floyd's death that 'abuse is a gross violation of human dignity that we cannot allow'Credit: AP:Associated Press
Floyd died in May after a police officer kneeled on his neck for nine minutes
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Floyd died in May after a police officer kneeled on his neck for nine minutesCredit: AP:Associated Press

“Abuse is a gross violation of human dignity that we cannot allow and which we must continue to struggle against," Francis wrote, using Floyd's name.

The pope denounced taking down Confederate statues in the US, describing it as erasing history.

He said a better way is to debate the past through dialogue.

“Amputating history can make us lose our memory, which is one of the few remedies we have against repeating the mistakes of the past,” he wrote.

Francis said he was against taking down Confederate statues in the US
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Francis said he was against taking down Confederate statues in the USCredit: EPA

Francis also touched upon the pandemic and blasted people who have protested lockdown restrictions.

He blasted those people "as if measures that governments must impose for the good of their people constitute some kind of political assault on autonomy or personal freedom!”

The pope said taking down statues is erasing history
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The pope said taking down statues is erasing historyCredit: EPA

Francis accused some in the church and Catholic media of being part of the problem.

“You’ll never find such people protesting the death of George Floyd, or joining a demonstration because there are shantytowns where children lack water or education,” he wrote.

“They turned into a cultural battle what was in truth an effort to ensure the protection of life.”

Francis suggested the world should use the pandemic as a way to reset.

Francis also slammed people protesting Covid lockdowns
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Francis also slammed people protesting Covid lockdownsCredit: Getty Images - Getty

He offered three "moments," or personal crises of his own life, that gave him the chance to stop, think, and change course.

The first was the respiratory infection that nearly killed him when he was 21 and in his second year at the Buenos Aires diocesan seminary.

After being saved, Francis decided to join the Jesuit religious order.

“I have a sense of how people with the coronavirus feel as they struggle to breathe on ventilators,” Francis wrote.

Francis suggested the world uses the pandemic as a reset
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Francis suggested the world uses the pandemic as a resetCredit: Alamy Live News

The second Covid moment was when he moved to Germany in 1986 to work on his thesis and felt such loneliness and isolation he moved back to Argentina without finishing it.

The third moment occurred during the nearly two years he spent in exile in Cordoba, northern Argentina, as penance for his authoritarian-laced reign as head of the Jesuit order in the country.

The pope's new book was ghost-written by Francis’ English-language biographer, Austen Ivereigh
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The pope's new book was ghost-written by Francis’ English-language biographer, Austen IvereighCredit: Getty Images - Getty

“I’m sure I did a few good things, but I could be very harsh. In Cordoba, they made me pay and they were right to do so,” he wrote.

But he also revealed that while in Cordoba he read a 37-volume of the “History of the Popes.”

“Once you know that papal history, there’s not that much that goes on in the Vatican Curia and the church today that can shock you,” he wrote.

Francis repeated his call for a universal basic income, for welcoming migrants, and for what he calls the three L’s that everyone needs: land, lodging, and labor.

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“We need to set goals for our business sector that – without denying its importance – look beyond shareholder value to other kinds of values that save us all: community, nature and meaningful work,” he wrote.

It was ghost-written by Francis’ English-language biographer, Austen Ivereigh.

Pope Francis hosts post-lockdown indoor general audience with over 1,000 people gathered at the Vatican for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic
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