Pope Francis on Tuesday rejected in stark terms the use of the cross as a political tool, an apparent swipe at nationalist forces in Europe and beyond that have used the imagery of Christianity for personal gain.
"Let us not reduce the cross to an object of devotion, much less to a political symbol, to a sign of religious and social status," Francis said in eastern Slovakia during a four-day visit to that country and to Hungary.
The remarks came two days after Francis stopped in Budapest, where he met Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has made Hungary's Christian roots and identity a hallmark of his political messaging and policies, including anti-immigrant and nationalist measures.
"The cross is not a flag to wave, but the pure source of a new way of living," Francis said, adding that a Christian "views no one as an enemy, but everyone as a brother or sister."
Francis has a track record of speaking more freely, and critically, of a country after leaving it. In 2017, he spoke out in support of the persecuted Rohingya minority in Myanmar after departing that country for neighboring Bangladesh.
On Sunday, he urged bishops in Hungary to embrace diversity. And after mass there, with Orban in the front row, he said that strong Christian roots allowed a nation to reach out "toward all."
But the pope's remarks in Slovakia on Tuesday were more blunt. He appeared to extend his criticism to politicians and activists who use Christian references and symbols to gain ground in so-called culture wars.
"How often do we long for a Christianity of winners," he asked, "a triumphalist Christianity that is important and influential, that receives glory and honor?"