So
much for the Pope of Rome.
I
thought he was a religious leader.
Perhaps
not!
Pope
says migrants' rights should override national security concerns
22
August, 2017
VATICAN
CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis urged political leaders on Monday to
defend migrants, saying their safety should take precedence over
national security concerns and that they should not be subjected to
collective deportations.
His
challenge to politicians, made in a comprehensive position paper on
migrants and refugees, again appeared to put him at odds with the
restrictive policies of a number of governments dealing with growing
popular anti-immigrant sentiment.
“Solidarity
must be concretely expressed at every stage of the migratory
experience – from departure through journey to arrival and return,”
he said in a message ahead of the Roman Catholic Church’s World Day
of Migrants and Refugees.
Calling
for “broader options for migrants and refugees to enter destination
countries safely and legally,” he said the human rights and dignity
of all migrants had to be respected regardless of their legal status.
“The
principle of the centrality of the human person ... obliges us to
always prioritize personal safety over national security,” he said.
This
appeared to be a reference to fears voiced in many European countries
that refugees inflows could lead to security problems in their host
countries. He said it was necessary “to ensure that agents in
charge of border control are properly trained.”
He
called for “alternative solutions to detention” for illegal
immigrants and said “collective and arbitrary expulsions of
migrants and refugees are not suitable solutions”.
Francis
said migrants should be seen as “a true resource for the
communities that welcome them” and be given freedom of movement,
access to means of communication, access to justice and everyday
rights such as opening a bank account.
Francis,
an Argentine who has made defense of migrants a major plank of his
papacy, has criticized anti-immigrant stands by national leaders
including U.S. President Donald Trump. Last year, Francis condemned
then-candidate Trump’s intention to build a wall on the border with
Mexico.
Migrant
children deserved particular protection, the pope said. They “must
be spared any form of detention related to migratory status,”
guaranteed access to primary and secondary education and have the
right to remain when they come of age.
Francis’s
message immediately drew the ire of the right-wing Northern League
party in Italy because it implicitly supported a controversial law
proposal that would grant citizenship to children who are born in
Italy of immigrant parents.
“The
universal right to a nationality should be recognized and duly
certified for all children at birth,” the pope said.
Northern
League leader Matteo Salvini responded: “If he wants to apply it in
his state, the Vatican, he can go right ahead.”
World
leaders are due to commit their countries to two global compacts, one
on refugees and the other on migrants, by the end of 2018 under the
auspices of the United Nations.
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