Pope condemns migrants and refugees being treated ‘worse than house pets’ human rights news

Pope Leo has previously criticized US President Donald Trump’s immigration policies and called for better treatment of refugees.

Pope Leo has criticized the world’s treatment of migrants and refugees, claiming that they are often viewed as “worse than house pets or animals”.

Leo, who has previously attacked United States President Donald Trump’s harsh immigration policies, called for better treatment of migrants when he returned to Rome on Thursday after a four-nation tour of Africa.

“They are human beings, and we have to treat human beings humanely and treat them no worse than domestic pets or animals,” the Pope said at a news conference.

Leo, who is the first head of the Roman Catholic Church from the US, did not mention any specific country when calling out the mistreatment of immigrants.

The Pope had previously questioned whether the Trump administration’s radical policies were in line with the Catholic Church’s strict pro-life teachings, drawing sharp criticism from conservative American Catholics.

Speaking on Thursday, Leo said countries have the right to control their borders, but urged rich countries to help develop the countries where migrants are going so they do not feel the need to leave.

What are rich countries doing to change the situation of poor countries?” he asked. “And why can’t we try to change the conditions in (those) countries?”

Iran war critics

Pope Leo also condemned the killing of protesters in Iran earlier this year, after President Trump attacked the Catholic leader for not speaking out on the subject while criticizing US-Israeli attacks on Iran.

“I condemn all actions that are unjust. I condemn the taking of people’s lives,” the Pope said in response to a question at a news conference about reports of Iran killing thousands of anti-government protesters in January.

Leo was “horribly” attacked by Trump on social media on April 12, after the Pope emerged as a vocal critic of the Iran war.

In a post two days later, Trump asked “would someone please tell Pope Leo about the deaths of Iranian protesters”.

Speaking ahead of his Africa tour, Leo said he did not want to “argue” with Trump and that he was not afraid of the Trump administration.

He said, “I will continue to speak out loudly against war, focus on promoting peace, promoting dialogue and multilateral relations between states, and finding appropriate solutions to problems.”

authoritarian leader

Leo returned to Rome after ending his trip to Africa in Equatorial Guinea.

The Pope defended his decision to visit countries known for authoritarian leaders, including Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon, both ruled by long-term leaders.

He said the Vatican maintains diplomatic relations with the governments of those countries.

“We don’t always make big announcements … but a lot of work happens behind the scenes to promote justice,” the Pope said.