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Pope Francis Urging Nations to Open Their Borders to as Many Refugees as Possible
- By Alison Lesley --
- 27 Jun 2018 --
![Pope Francis Urging Nations to Open Their Borders to as Many Refugees as Possible](https://www.worldreligionnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/2048px-Korea_Pope_Francis_Arrive_Seoul_Airport_01.jpg)
Pope Francis supported the American bishops’ stand against President Trump
Pope Francis has urged nations to welcome as many immigrants as possible.[/tweetit] “Each country must do this with the virtue of government, which is prudence, and take in as many refugees as it can, as many as it can integrate, educate, give jobs to,” the pope said aboard the papal plane speaking with reporters.
Pope Francis Urging Nations to Open Their Borders to as Many Refugees as Possible[/tweetthis]
The United Nations Refugee Agency, in its report, stated over 33,000 individuals had put their lives at risk when they boarded rickety ships to reach Europe so far this year.
The pontiff during his media interaction said he believes it is the responsibility of governments of nations all over the world not only to welcome refugees, but also to accompany them on their journey, rehouse them, and to integrate the newcomers into their host nations. He reminded the media many people in the world who are called refugees leave their land due to hunger and war.
The Vatican is a country. How many refugees are living within it's borders? I hear the pope's apartment is pretty big, St. Peter's is massive. How many refugees are sleeping on it's floors? https://t.co/k3TV0ZlIvG
— Russ McCullough (@MacRussell) June 22, 2018
The pontiff supported the actions of American Catholic bishops who have made a stand against President Trump's policy to separate families who tried to enter the United States without proper documentation. The U.S. branch of the Catholic clergy has termed the separation tactic of the Trump administration an "immoral" one. Trump reversed this controversial policy on June 20. The new executive order states that immigrant family members can be detained together.
Libyan human traffickers also came to the pope's crosshairs as he decried their criminal actions of exploiting the migrants who tried to pass through the country. Libya itself is conflict-ridden. Migrants are stopped while trying to take the ocean route to Europe and sent back to Libyan detention centers. According to UN Human Rights Council, many refugees are tortured, executed and even openly sold as slaves.
The pontiff expressed horror when he spoke about the detention centers in Libya, “The traffickers’ prisons are terrible, terrible, like the concentration camps of World War II.”