16th July, 2014
Pope Francis has called for the tens of thousands of Central American and Mexican children who have crossed the border into the US to be "welcomed and protected".
US Customs and Border Protection says more than 57,000 unaccompanied children from Central American nations including Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador have been apprehended after crossing the US border since October, a figure more than double that for the entire 2013 fiscal year.
In a message delivered to a Vatican conference on migration and development in Mexico City on Monday, the Pope, according to a Vatican Radio translation, said the "humanitarian emergency" requires that , "as a first measure, these children be welcomed and protected".
He added that such measures need to be accompanied by policies which inform people about the dangers of such a journey and promote development in the countries they are coming from.
Meanwhile Cardinal Pietro Parolin, one of the Vatican’s highest ranking clerics, reportedly told the conference protecting the children was a matter of urgency "because their vulnerability is greater and they are defenceless against any abuse or misfortune".
– DAVID ADAMS
