The Pope is expected to take Europe to task over racial and religious intolerance during a visit to the European parliament.

He arrives at the Strasbourg-based parliament on Tuesday, as the crisis-hit continent battles with growing populism and the spectre of radicalisation.

He will address both the European parliament and the Council of Europe.

The pontiff has in the past dubbed Europe a "tired" continent which has lost its way, criticising it for high unemployment, a declining birthrate and poor treatment of the marginalised and elderly by those in thrall to "the idol of money".

The 77-year old had been criticised for neglecting Europe since his election in February last year, preferring to focus on areas of potential growth for the Catholic Church, such as Asia.

The Pope is expected to repeat his call for greater tolerance, social inclusion and dialogue as a recourse to a rise in racism and radicalisation in countries hit hard by the economic crisis and the austerity measures imposed to overcome it.

Nationalist, Eurosceptic and anti-immigration parties in several countries scored victories in European Parliament elections in May on the back of widespread frustration with Brussels.

Europe is also grappling with the departure of hundreds of citizens for Syria and Iraq, where they openly join jihadist groups and urge others to follow.

The leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics will likely call for more to be done to tackle youth unemployment - which stands at an average 21.6 per cent in the continent - and to care for those fleeing war zones and persecution.