Reuters
By Philip Pullella
December 15, 2015
Pope
Francis on Tuesday called on countries to review their laws on
migration in order to welcome refugees and help them integrate into
society and become legal residents.
His
appeal comes at a time when several countries in Europe want to shut
their borders to migrants and refugees, while immigration is also a
prominent issue in the U.S.
presidential campaign.
"With
regard to migrants, I would ask that legislation on migration be
reviewed, so, while respecting reciprocal rights and responsibilities,
it can reflect a readiness
to welcome migrants and to facilitate their integration," he said in
his message for the Roman Catholic Church's World Day of Peace.
The annual message is sent to heads of state and government as well as international organizations such as the United Nations.
"Special
concern should be paid to the conditions for legal residency, since
having to live clandestinely can lead to criminal behavior," he said.
During
a planned visit to Mexico next February, the Latin American pope will
say a Mass right on the border with the United States, where he is
expected to defend the
rights of immigrants.
U.S. politicians have debated for years over immigration, most recently about Latin Americans who entered the country illegally.
Conservative
Republicans in the 2016 White House race are offering competing plans
to limit illegal immigration. Republican presidential campaign
front-runner Donald Trump
has threatened to deport 11 million people.
Europe
has seen hundreds of thousands of migrants and refugees reach its
shores under precarious conditions this year and is deeply divided over
how to deal with the crisis.
Several
European Union member states have resisted a German-led proposal to set
mandatory quotas that would oblige countries to take on a certain
proportion of newly arrived
migrants.
In
September the pope appealed to every Catholic parish, religious
community and sanctuary in Europe to take in a family of refugees. In
his message on Tuesday, he thanked
those he said had "readily responded," without giving any figures.
The
1.2 billion-member Church's World Day of Peace is marked by Catholics
in parishes around the globe on Jan. 1. The theme of this year's message
is "Overcome Indifference
and Win Peace".
Francis,
whose first trip after his election in 2013 was to the Sicilian island
of Lampedusa to pay tribute to refugees who had died at sea, said many
people had become
cold hearted and indifferent to the tragedies facing humanity.
"Some
people prefer not to ask questions or seek answers; they lead lives of
comfort, deaf to the cry of those who suffer," he said.
For more information, go to: www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com
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