ResponsiveReiding

(Photo courtesy of National Geographic)

Reuters Reports Today: By Philip Pullella

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – A senior Vatican cardinal on Tuesday condemned the building of walls between countries to keep out immigrants and said Washington’s plan to build a fence on the U.S.-Mexican border was part of an “inhuman program”.

Cardinal Renato Martino made his comments at a news conference presenting Pope Benedict’s message for the Roman Catholic Church’s World Day of Migrants and Refugees, in which the Pope called for more laws to help immigrants integrate.

“Speaking of borders, I must unfortunately say that in a world that greeted the fall of the Berlin Wall with joy, new walls are being built between neighborhood and neighborhood, city and city, nation and nation,” said Martino, head of the Vatican’s Council for Justice and Peace.

President Bush signed legislation last month approving the construction of a 700-mile (1,100-km) fence — a move that angered Mexico’s government.

Bush defends the fence as necessary to tighten control of the border to keep criminals and terrorists out. Thousands of poor Mexicans risk their lives each year sneaking across the 2,000-mile (3,200-km) border to seek jobs.

WRONG

Asked if the U.S.-Mexican fence was the wrong thing to do, Martino said: “Yes, that’s exactly what it is.”

Martino praised Mexican and U.S. bishops for opposing what he called “an inhuman program, which is what the construction of that wall and all others is”.

RAF: I believe then in the spirit of setting us all an example of this very thinking, that the Vatican will be razing it own walls, cease to be guarded like a fortress and allow any and all the access the Vatican appears to want for us.

Time to call off the Swiss Guard border agents – eh? I’m sure they have a pretty
liberal immigration policy.

I can’t wait to go and see the room where I get to stay! Goody!

’nuff said.