MADRID(National Times)- Pope Leo XIV called for a global response to the \u201ctragic drama\u201d of migration and said world peace was a \u201ctrue global imperative\u201d in an unprecedented address to the Spanish parliament on Monday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The pope also urged lawmakers to defend life \u201cfrom conception to its natural end\u201d, in a country whose left-wing government has legalised euthanasia under strict conditions and wants to include abortion rights in the constitution. The leader of the world\u2019s 1.4 billion Catho\u00adlics later on Monday will reportedly meet in private with victims of sexual abuse by clergy, which he has called \u201can open wound\u201d for the Church.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In his address to parliament, he called for \u201csafe and legal pathways\u201d for immigration and for mig\u00adrants to be given \u201ca respectful welcome and real opportunities for integration\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe tragic drama of migration… challenges the conscience of nations and the ethical foundation of the international order today,\u201d he said. In contrast with many of its European allies, Spain under Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has a relatively liberal immigration policy. But the government is under pressure on the issue from the main conservative Popular Party and from far-right party Vox, now the nation\u2019s third-largest political force.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The pope\u2019s seven-day visit to Spain will include a trip to the Canary Islands, where he will pay tribute to the migrants who have lost their lives at sea on perilous journeys from Africa. The Spanish archipelago has become one of the main entry points for irregular migrants into Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The pope, who has been harshly criticised by US President Donald Trump for his anti-war views, also called for \u201cpatient dialogue\u201d instead of conflict and rearmament in Europe and beyond. \u201cWeapons may impose a temporary silence but they can never build a genuine and lasting peace,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
MADRID(National Times)- Pope Leo XIV called for a global response to the \u201ctragic drama\u201d of migration and said world peace was a \u201ctrue global imperative\u201d in an unprecedented address to the Spanish parliament on Monday. The pope also urged lawmakers to defend life \u201cfrom conception to its natural end\u201d, in a country whose left-wing government […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":127269,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-127268","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-international","entry"],"yoast_head":"\n