What does Pope Francis think about the way the West treats migrants?

Pope Francis compares Islam to Christianity.

Pope Francis participated in an interview with a French newspaper, in which he expressed his joy at London's election of its first Muslim mayor.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - According to French daily La Croix, Pope Francis discussed the migrant crisis and explained, "the worst form of welcome" to migrants is "to 'ghettoise' them.' On the contrary, it's necessary to integrate them."

The pontiff explained what happened in Brussels amid terrorism, stating, "Belgians, children of migrants ... grew up in a ghetto. In London, the new mayor took his oath of office in a cathedral and will undoubtedly meet the Queen. This illustrates the need for Europe to rediscover its capacity to integrate."

The interview, which was conducted in Italian, continued for an hour. When Pope Francis was asked if Islamophobia fueled "the fear of accepting migrants," His Holiness responded: "there is a fear of Islam as such but of ISIS and its war of conquest, which is partly drawn from Islam.

"It is true that the idea of conquest is inherent in the soul of Islam. However, it is also possible to interpret the objective in Matthew's Gospel, where Jesus sends his disciples to all nations, in terms of the same idea of conquest."

Following the interview, it was clear Pope Francis did not fear Sadiq Khan, London's first Muslim mayor. By London's acceptance of a Muslim mayor, Pope Francis witnessed an excellent example of what he has long taught: Love thy neighbor.

Mayor Khan was sworn in as London's first Muslim mayor amid racial and religious tensions. His is exactly the kind of rags-to-riches tale Pope Francis hopes to spread among the incoming migrants, who were forced to flee their terrorized, war-torn countries.

Khan's father was a bus driver from Pakistan and assimilated perfectly within the UK. Khan grew to appreciate politics and eventually overcame the odds to reach the position of mayor.

In his pledge to serve London, Khan stated: "I'm determined to lead the most transparent, engaged and accessible administration London has ever seen, and to represent every single community and every single part of our city as mayor for Londoners."

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