CNA Staff, Nov 26, 2020 / 12:00 pm
Coronavirus lockdowns revealed a "glaring contradiction" in attitudes towards migrants, a Vatican diplomat said Thursday.
Addressing the Council of the International Organization for Migration in Geneva, Switzerland, Nov. 26, Archbishop Ivan Jurkovič said that migrants were both resented and relied upon as essential workers amid the pandemic.
"It is regrettable that, while migrants' labor is in high demand and welcomed to compensate for labor shortages, they also are often rejected and subjected to resentful, utilitarian attitudes by many in receiving societies," he said.
"This sad reality is a glaring contradiction that stems from placing economic interests over the interests of the human person. This tendency became particularly evident during the COVID-19 'lockdowns,' where many of the 'essential' workers most affected were migrants."