Breaking News English

Pope Francis [delivered / delivery] a damning message to European leaders on Tuesday when he [addressed / address] the European Parliament in Strasbourg. He denounced what he [saw / seen] as Europe's 'throwaway culture' where the elderly, the [terminal / terminally] ill and unborn children are ignored. He said technology and economics were [more / mere] important to politicians than [them / those] suffering. He told his audience: "Men and women risk being reduced to mere [clogs / cogs] in a machine that treats them [has / as] items of consumption to be exploited, with the result that whenever a human life no longer [proves / proof] useful for that machine, it is discarded." He added: "It is the inevitable consequence of a throwaway culture, and an uncontrolled [consumer / consumerism] ".

The Pope was very [critical / crucial] of Europe's politicians and systems. He warned that Europe's once [dynamic / dynamism] , caring and artistic cultures were being [eroded / evaded] by red tape, saying: "The great ideas which once [insipid / inspired] Europe seem to have lost their attraction, only to be replaced by the bureaucratic [techniques / technicalities] of its institutions." He said bureaucracy was "perceived [as / was] insensitive to individual peoples, if not [downright / upright] harmful". The Pope said Europe risked losing its [sensed / sense] of community, saying: "One of the most common diseases in Europe today is the [lonely / loneliness] typical of those who have no connection with others. This is especially true of the elderly, who are often abandoned to their [fate / fete] , and also in the young."