Unacceptable politics at expense of migrants - Vatican (4)

(ANSA) - Vatican City, June 27 - Vatican Deputy Secretary of State Cardinal Angelo Becciu told ANSA Wednesday it was unacceptable to conduct politics at the expense of migrants' lives. "Clarification on the subject was needed, it isn't right that the burden of reception should be assumed only by the most physically exposed countries like Italy and Greece, and not by the whole European Union," he said. "But it is unacceptable that ships loaded with human beings should be used to advance political positions". He was referring to the Italian government's new hard line on migrants, turning away NGO ships and forcing other EU countries to let them dock.
    Becciu added: "I recall what Pope Francis said recently: migrants are human beings not numbers! "It may be unpopular to defend the marginalised today but neither the pope nor the Church can fail in their mission".