Pope Francis visits Geneva to boost Christian unity

Pope Francis arrived in the Swiss city of Geneva on Thursday to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the World Council of Churches (WCC). Swiss government officials including Alain Berset, who holds the rotating Swiss presidency this year, welcomed him at the airport.  The previous papal visit to Switzerland was in 2004, when Pope John Paul II came to Bern and Geneva not long before he died. + How much does the papal visit to Switzerland cost? Pope Francis headed to the WCC headquarters in Geneva for an ecumenical prayer session with local church representatives.  The Roman Catholic Church is not a member of the WCC but it does send observers to WCC meetings. The rare papal visit marks a significant effort to bridge the divide between the Vatican and other Christian churches. At the WCC, the 81-year-old pope warned worshippers against the dangers of "unbridled consumerism", saying it leads to the exclusion of children and the elderly.  "We have lost our direction," ...