Pope Francis Speaks up About Migrants
At the start of the Lenten season, Pope Francis once again championed the cause of immigrants.
Speaking to a social project publication, his comments were another take on the worldwide refugee crisis and the debate on whether a country should adopt an open policy on migrants or not.
He talked about the Holy See's recent initiatives to accommodate refugees. "Here in the Vatican there are two parishes, and both are housing Syrian families. Many parishes in Rome have also opened their doors and others, which don't have a house for priests, offered to pay rent for families in need, for a full year," he told Scarp de' tenis magazine.
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Another example he cited, as reported by Vatican Radio, are the 13 Muslim refugees he brought aboard the papal plane to Rome from Lesbos last year. All of them have integrated well into society with the parents finding work and their children going to school.
Without intending to do so, the pope may have answered those who criticize him for only talking about helping migrants without actually doing anything. America Magazine showed a tweet of Breitbart News posing a sarcastic question to the Vatican how many refugees are living inside its walls.
Pope Francis also spoke about the need to share with the needy, even chiding those who are critical of giving alms to beggars. "There are many arguments which justify why we should not give these alms: 'I give money and he just spends it on a glass of wine!' A glass of wine is his only happiness in life!" he said.
Scarp de' tenis, which means "sneakers" in English, is a social project of the Vatican's charity organization Caritas. The magazine is a source of income for the staff, mostly composed of the homeless and those who suffer difficult personal situations including social exclusion.
