Paul KeenanSecretary of State travels to Mexico
The Vatican Secretary of State is in Mexico this week to lead efforts in addressing a dramatic surge in emigration towards the US border from Central America.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin arrived on July 13 with a mission to coordinate an initiative between Mexico – as the major transit point for northbound migrants – and the Holy See. In his first meeting this week with authorities directly linked with the wave of humanity now threatening to overwhelm US border facilities, the cardinal was escorted by Mexico’s Foreign Minister Jose Antonio Meade to a gathering of foreign ministers drawn from Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador.
Cardinal Parolin’s intervention came as Catholic bishops north and south of the US-Mexican border issued a joint statement for immediate help in dealing with the migration issue.
In their July 10 statement, the prelates of Mexico, the United States, El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala urged a societal response to migrants.
“We call on business leaders, especially Catholics, to invest and contribute to the promotion of justice and equality. We exhort parents to not expose their children to the dangers of the dangerous journey toward Mexico and the United States,” the bishops said. “And we ask society in general to assume their rightful roles.
“This dramatic situation affects all of us and we must commit ourselves to ‘globalise solidarity,’ recognising, respecting and defending the life, dignity and rights of every person, independent of their migratory condition.”
The issue of migration towards the United States has been exacerbated over recent months by a rapid growth in the numbers of unaccompanied minors reaching the US border. Driven by dire poverty and violence in their home countries, migrants have also been encouraged by traffickers with the false promise that the US authorities automatically allow minors to remain.