NNA -nbsp;Pope Francis appealed to countries on Thursday to manage waves of migrants as best they can and to expand channels for their safe and regular movement, as the United States grapples with anbsp;surge of new arrivalsnbsp;at its southern border.
Francis made his comments in his message for the Roman Catholic Church#39;s annual World Day of Migrants and Refugees, whose title this year is quot;Free to Choose Whether to Migrate or to Stayquot;.
He called for a quot;shared commitmentquot; to manage migration, with politicians in countries of origin implementing quot;transparent, honest and farsightedquot; policies and rich countries shunning any form of quot;economic colonialismquot; that exploits the natural resources of poorer countries.
quot;Persecutions, wars, atmospheric phenomena and dire poverty are among the most visible causes of forced migrations today. Migrants flee because of poverty, fear or desperation,quot; Francis said, calling on countries to work together to eliminate the causes.
quot;Even as we work to ensure that in every case migration is the fruit of a free decision, we are called to show maximum respect for the dignity of each migrant; this entails accompanying and managing waves of migration as best we can, constructing bridges and not walls, expanding channels for a safe and regular migration,quot; he wrote. — Reuters
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