MercoPress, en Español

Montevideo, November 8th 2024 - 02:47 UTC

 

 

Pope Francis strong message on World Day of migrants and refugees

Wednesday, September 25th 2013 - 06:21 UTC
Full article 2 comments
Nowadays, 'slave labour' is common currency blasted the Pope Nowadays, 'slave labour' is common currency blasted the Pope

Pope Francis urged countries to welcome and respect migrants and refugees and not to treat them as “pawns on the chessboard of humanity”. Francis, who has made the defence of the poor and vulnerable a cornerstone of his papacy, said in a message for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees that there should be a change in attitude on the part of host countries.

“Migrants and refugees are not pawns on the chessboard of humanity,” he said in the message, which is sent to government and international institutions such as the United Nations.

“They are children, women and men who leave or who are forced to leave their homes for various reasons, who share a legitimate desire for knowing and having, but above all for being more.”

He also repeated his condemnation of “slave labour” and trafficking, developing his criticism of a “throwaway culture”.

Francis has often used the term to denounce a modern society where people, who are not productive, such as the elderly, are neglected and cast off as if they were objects no longer useful.

Immigration is a divisive issue in Europe and beyond. France's far-right National Front, which has an anti-immigrant policy, has been buoyed by improving poll numbers.

Italy's first black minister, Cecile Kyenge, who was born in Africa, has been the butt of racist comments from the anti-immigrant Northern League because she supports automatic citizenship for immigrant children born in Italy.

The steady flow of refugee boats are also a hot issue in Australia, polarizing voters this month's election.

The pope, whose own ancestors left Italy for Argentina in the early 20th century and lived through the Great Depression called for “the elimination of prejudices and presuppositions” in the approach to migration.

“Not infrequently, the arrival of migrants, displaced persons, asylum-seekers and refugees gives rise to suspicion and hostility. There is a fear that society will become less secure, that identity and culture will be lost, that competition for jobs will become stiffer and even that criminal activity will increase,” he said.

In his message, Francis decried companies and businesses that exploited migrants and refugees, many of whom work for low day wages in agriculture and in illegal factories in Italy and elsewhere in Europe.

“Particularly disturbing are those situations where migration is not only involuntary, but actually set in motion by various forms of human trafficking and enslavement. Nowadays, 'slave labour' is common currency,” he said.

In July, Francis chose Lampedusa, the tiny island off Sicily that has been the first port of safety for untold thousands of migrants crossing by sea from North Africa seeking a better life in Europe, as the place for his first trip outside Rome to draw attention to the plight of refugees.

“A change of attitude towards migrants and refugees is needed on the part of everyone, moving away from attitudes of defensiveness and fear, indifference and marginalization - all typical of a throwaway culture - towards attitudes based on a culture of encounter, the only culture capable of building a better, more just and fraternal world,” he said in the message.

Earlier this month, when he visited a refugee centre in Rome, Francis said disused church buildings should be used to house asylum-seekers.

Francis has been a frequent critic of globalization and on Sunday made one of his strongest attacks on the global economic system, saying it could not longer be based “on a god called money”.

In his message on Tuesday, Francis said migrants and refugees were also suffering from the effects of globalization. “Development cannot be reduced to economic growth alone, often attained without a thought for the poor and the vulnerable,” he said in the message.
 

Categories: Politics, International.

Top Comments

Disclaimer & comment rules
  • Conqueror

    Indeed “there should be a change in attitude on the part of host countries.” We should tell the migrants and refugees to stay where they are. After all, most of them want to bring their country and culture with them. If they stay where they are, they won't have to. The top countries in the world are ones where the people stayed where they were and found their way through problems. They didn't run away. If everybody just ran away, no-one who know who or what they are. Imagine the inhabitants of France running away to live in the middle of China. Or the inhabitants of Spain running away to live in South America. Oh no, they did that, didn't they? There's nothing wrong with the attitudes of “host countries”. Importance of the word “host”. “Host” implies that those arriving are “guests”. So why don't they act like guests? Instead they arrive with the words “We want........” Later, they change to “We demand........” Then they start demanding that the host changes to suit them. And that's when the real problems start! Easily solved if they just stay where they are.

    Sep 25th, 2013 - 12:08 pm 0
  • CabezaDura

    I don’t agree with the Pope….The problem with all this floury stuff he says is that is already been said and done for 30/40 years ago. Politically correct beliefs are already old, just as he is, and it just doesn’t work, especially in times of prolonged economic crisis. The fact you have in Europe the rise in the last few years of Geert Wilders in the Netherlands, Marine Le Pen in France and UKIP in Britain is a clear indication that people are just fed up, and don’t buy the story any longer, and of course that multiculturalism has failed miserably. It’s better for more moderate parties to succeed earlier because there is a risk for more extremists ones to come to power like Golden Dawn in Greece which is now unstoppable.
    Gaddafi would stop all the immigrants from North Africa to enter Italy and Europe via the Mediterranean, as he was close friends of Berlusconi…Now Gaddafi is gone so maybe Italy is seeing the consequences of that. I read from an Italian sociologist (can’t remember her name) the other problem with massive oversupply of unskilled immigration is that most the migrants are mostly men and very few females in proportion, so of course it’s a tremendous social problem as well.
    It’s really time for the countries that expel these massive amounts of migrants to be more responsible of what they do and create opportunities and improve life standards for their own people rather than just leaving for someone else take care. I think that that is where the problem starts

    Sep 25th, 2013 - 12:19 pm 0
Read all comments

Commenting for this story is now closed.
If you have a Facebook account, become a fan and comment on our Facebook Page!