Pope Francis on Monday urged countries to greatly improve their welcome to migrants and stop collective expulsions, saying migrants’ dignity and right to protection trumps national security concerns.
Francis’ politically pointed message was made in view of the Catholic Church’s 2018 world refugee day, celebrated Jan. 14. It comes amid mounting anti-immigrant sentiment in Europe and beyond following waves of migrant arrivals and Islamic extremist attacks.
In the message, Francis demanded governments welcome, protect, promote and integrate migrants, saying Jesus’ message of love is rooted in welcoming the “rejected strangers of every age.”
He demanded a simplified process of granting humanitarian and temporary visas and rejected arbitrary and collective expulsions as “unsuitable.” He said the principle of ensuring each person’s dignity “obliges us to always prioritize personal safety over national security.”
Francis has made refugees a priority of his pontificate, making his first trip outside Rome in 2013 to the island of Lampedusa, ground zero in Europe’s migration crisis. He has repeatedly spoken out for migrants’ rights, demanded countries build “bridges not walls,” and personally brought a dozen Syrian refugees back to Rome with him when he visited a Greek refugee camp in 2016.
Ignoring critics who say his calls are unrealistic and naive, Francis insisted in the new message that border guards must be trained to protect migrants and that each new arrival, regardless of legal status, must be guaranteed access to basic services beyond health care.
That extends to guaranteeing access to consulates, the justice system and the ability to open a bank account and survive financially, he said.
Unaccompanied minors, he said, require even greater protection, including guaranteeing them citizenship and access to schooling, as well as foster programs rather than detention centers.
He called for policies that support family reunification, employment opportunities and accelerated citizenship procedures to improve migrants’ abilities to integrate.
His call was immediately rejected by the leader of Italy’s anti-immigrant Northern League party, which has opposed government proposals to change Italy’s law to accelerate citizenship for children born in Italy to non-Italians.
“If you want to do it in the Vatican, go ahead,” Matteo Salvini wrote on Facebook. “But as a Catholic, I don’t think Italy can welcome and support the whole world.”
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Follow Nicole Winfield at www.twitter.com/nwinfield
I’m so not surprised by this…
WHO GIVES A SHIT WHAT THAT ANTICHRIST FOOL THINKS………….. SOMEBODY KILL IT!
ANOTHER COMMUNIST TURDIKIN………….
He believes he speaks for God. He also believes pedophilia trumps national security.
LMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sure, why should he have to care about “national security?” Everywhere he travels he’s carried in a glass bulletproof cage.
.
BULLETPROOF IS A SUBJECTIVE TERM. IT DEPENDS ON THE BULLET…………..
“I see,” said the blind man.
🙂
.
…as he picked up his hammer and saw!
So….does this mean that the Vatican’s borders are also wide open for migrants? Is the Poop (not a typo) going to downplay any Vatican concerns and be nursemaid to hundreds of hungry MUSLIM immigrants? Is he going to watch or participate as the nuns are gang raped?
No, no, he will only participate when the children are raped. As far as I know, like Israel, not a single migrant resides in the Holy City.
cdn2.armslist.com/sites/armslist/uploads/posts/2013/01/31/965657_02_bmg_50_cal_m2_armor_piercing_a_640.jpg
LOL… tie. 🙂
Lapua. 🙂
ZACLY……….. BUT I WAS MOSTLY “SHOOTING” FOR CALIBER HERE
AND….. I LIKE MY OWN HANDLOADS OVER LAPUA………………………
🙂
“He said the principle of ensuring each person’s dignity “obliges us to always prioritize personal safety over national security.”
That’s absolutely true.
BUT ONLY IN THE CASE OF THOSE WHO ACTUALLY BELONG IN THE COUNTRY! IT DOES NOT APPLY TO INVADERS!!!
That pedophile prick should bring them to Vatican City to live with him and the rest of the Satanists residing there.
A CHILD MOLESTING BEANER FEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THAT SHOULD BE RIGHT UP HIS ALLEY. YOU WANNA EMAIL ‘IM? OR SHOULD I?
Please, let me send our demand to the first Jesuit Pedophile Pope.
%BOWS SHARPLY@
GIVE ‘EM HELL MISS JANET!!
Bingo. Give that lady a cigar.
He should bring thousands of these poor “migrants” to live in the Vatican. Especially the MS13 types.
What’s MS13?
Deadly criminal South American gang, now inside our borders, tattooed from head to toe.
Lordy. Thanks, Mark.
Actually founded in LA, filled with mostly Mexicans and central Americans:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MS-13
Nasty, murderous thugs that need killing.
Good Gravy!
Yet, notice that the Vatican has not opened up Vatican City to the invaders (migrants). Nor are their homes, etc opened up to them yet they can well afford to do so.
One must ask, when it is an accepted axiom that actions are louder then words, why those calling the loudest for invasions (migrations) of nations are not fitting their actions to their words.
Understand that I am not for or against the faith of anyone, but where ever there is great power one ALWAYS finds the corrupt – Religion included.
I grew up in their indoctrination system. No need to apologize for the Satanist/Freemason heading the Catholic Church. They don’t want immigrants in their country anymore than that other group, God’s Chosen Ones, will take them in their’s.
I think R. Lee Ermy said it best about the name Francis in full metal jacket.
Oh… I almost forget.
The pope can go fk himself.
Instead of children.
That fkng church has enough stolen blood money for every man women and child on this earth.
So he needs to just shut up and go away.
pope needs to be met with a rope
Rope-a-pope?
Hey, that’s catchy!
So that means that wall around the Vatican will be coming down when??
WHEN THE WALL AROUND “ISRAHELL” FALLS……………………….