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Pope to take on hot EU topics in Strasbourg visit

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AP Strasbourg (France)
Pope Francis is set to deliver his first major speech on Europe, focusing on complex continental issues such as joblessness and immigration.

The pontiff's whirlwind, four-hour visit tomorrow to the European Parliament and the Council of Europe, Europe's main human rights body, in Strasbourg is shaping up as more a secular stop than a liturgical layover.

Aides say the pontiff will address topics including unemployment and immigration, two hot-button issues in Europe.

To the disgruntlement of some locals, he won't visit Strasbourg's famed cathedral.

Some left-leaning lawmakers argue he has no place visiting secular European institutions.

Francis' trip is the first by a pope to Strasbourg since John Paul II visited in 1988. That was a very different Europe -- before the Berlin Wall fell.

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First Published: Nov 24 2014 | 9:20 PM IST

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