Cardinal Rivera: countries need to build bridges not walls

Mexico City, Mexico, May 16, 2005 / 22:00 pm

In a reference to the decision of the US government to build a wall on the Mexican border to stop illegal immigration, the Archbishop of Mexico City, Cardinal Norberto Rivera Carrera, said this week countries need to build “more bridges” in order to establish better relations and not walls that divide. 

“When the world is opening up, when markets and communications are becoming global, it’s absurd to begin building walls,” the cardinal said, speaking with reporters.

Likewise, the archdiocesan newspaper, Desde la Fe, criticized the US government for only coming up with “simplistic solutions” to the problem of illegal immigration which in the end violate the human rights of thousands of migrants who cross the border seeking better living conditions for themselves and their families.

“The desperate reaction of some leaders and citizens of our neighboring country is leading them into a personal confrontation that could give way to criminal violence,” warned an editorial.

The article noted that the roots of the problem lie in economic hardship and that Mexican authorities and lawmakers have the responsibility of creating opportunity so that people will not feel forced to abandon the country in search of ways to overcome poverty.