New York City, N.Y., Apr 12, 2018 / 09:28 am
The Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations encouraged global leaders to take a "human-centered approach to migration," rather than reacting with "unsustainable short-term solutions."
The Vatican's chief diplomat at the UN, Archbishop Bernardito Auza, urged countries to consider "not only the sovereign right of States to manage and control their borders, but also their responsibility to promote and protect the dignity, human rights and fundamental freedoms of all those on the move, regardless of their migratory status."
Speaking April 11 at the UN's Commission on Population and Development annual meeting, Auza warned against reactionary policies, such as population control or a narrow view of "national interest."
"Unsustainable short-term solutions that prey on fear and use demography to justify closed borders or promote population control only lead to more unmanageable crises in the future," said the archbishop.