Pope Francis said in his message for next year's World Day of Migrants and Refugees that "while respecting the universal right for a nationality, it must be recognised and certified for all children at the moment of birth.
"The statelessness in which migrants and refugees sometimes find themselves can easily be avoided through legislation on citizenship complying with the fundamental principles of international law", Francis said.
The pope's statement was issued a day after Premier Paolo
Gentiloni irked anti-immigrant parties by vowing to pass a bill
that would give Italian citizenship to the children of regular
immigrants, born on Italian soil, who have spent at least five
years in the Italian school system.
The parties came out against the pope's call Monday.
Pope Francis should enact a 'ius soli' (law of the soil, in
Latin) immigrant children citizenship law in the Vatican,
anti-immigrant Northern League (LN) leader Matteo Salvini said.
"If he wants to apply it in his State, the Vatican, let him
do so, but as a Catholic I don't think Italy can welcome and
maintain the whole world. To God what is God's, to Caesar what
is Caesar's. Amen. #stopinvasion", he said on Facebook.
Roberto Calderoli, an LN heavyweight, said "the pope is
wrong, we can't give citizenship to more than two million
immigrants who don't even want it".
Rightwing populist parties have portrayed the ius soli bill
as a pull factor for the thousands of migrants crossing the
Mediterranean from Libya to Italy.
We must "respond to the numerous challenges posed by
contemporary migrations with generosity, speed, wisdom and
far-sightedness, each according to his possibilities," Francis
went on.
The pope stressed that "every foreigner who knocks on our
door is an opportunity to meet Jesus Christ, who identifies
himself with the foreigner welcomed or rejected in every epoch".
The pope said migrants were a resources whose rights had to
be respected, and the "culture of encounter" must always be
encouraged.
He also called for more humanitarian corridors and proper
accommodation for migrants.
Francis also said personal security must be combined with
national security, and stressed the need to "welcome, protect,
promote and integrate".
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