Pope Francis: "I don't like to talk about Islamic terrorism"
ABOARD THE PAPAL AIRCRAFT -- Pope Francis wrapped up a five day tour in Poland on Sunday, and on the flight back to Rome with reporters, the topic of terrorism in the wake of a French Catholic priest's slaying was discussed.
"I don't like to talk about Islamic terrorism," Pope Francis admitted on the Papal flight, adding: "Terrorism grows when there is no alternative."
Pope Francis said that he sees the root causes of terrorism as societal ills like joblessness.
"Terrorism grows when at the center of society is the God of money, not the family," he added.
The pope was responding to a question raised by a French journalist who asked about the ISIS-claimed execution of 85-year-old priest Rev. Jacques Hamel in France.
"There are fundamentalists in all religious, we [Catholics] have it too," the pontiff said. "If I talk about Islamic violence, then I also have to talk of Catholic violence."
The pope said that when he reads the newspapers in Italy, he reads about violence against girlfriends and or a mother-in-law, "They're all baptized Catholics."
Also on Sunday, the pope celebrated mass with an estimated 1.5 million people gathered for "World Youth Day," which has been dubbed "Woodstock for Catholics."
As he generally does when returning from a trip, Pope Francis took questions from journalists in the economy section of the commercial aircraft he flies on with his delegation.
