Today, Pope Francis urged countries to be more welcoming to to migrants and stop collective expulsions, saying migrants' dignity and right to protection trumps national security concerns.
He demanded a simplified process of granting humanitarian and temporary visas. He said the principle of ensuring each person's dignity "obliges us to always prioritize personal safety over national security."
Pope Francis has repeatedly spoken out for migrants' rights, demanded countries build "bridges not walls," and personally brought a dozen Syrian refugees back to Rome with him when he visited a Greek refugee camp in 2016.
Francis insisted in the new message that border guards must be trained to protect migrants and that each new arrival, regardless of legal status, must be guaranteed access to basic services beyond health care. He called for policies that support family reunification, employment opportunities and accelerated citizenship procedures to improve migrants' abilities to integrate.