Pope Francis has commended the people and government of Morocco for accepting and being hospitable to migrants.
The Pope who was on a two day visit to Morocco gave the commendation at a grand reception organised for him at Esplanade Mausoleum in Rabat.
The Pope assured migrants that the church was aware and shared in their sufferings.
He urged governments to take concrete action to address the challenges that forced many people to flee their countries leaving their families behind.
According to him, the issue of migration cannot be resolved by building high walls or denying assistance to those who legitimately aspire to a better life for themselves and their families.
“This is because we know that true peace comes through the pursuit of social justice which indispensable for correcting the economic imbalances and political unrest that is causing conflicts and threatening the whole of humanity. ”
Pope Francis also stressed the need for leaders to adopt dialogue in resolving religious conflicts and other crises in their countries.
He said his visit was to further advance the need for inter-religious dialogue and mutual understanding.
“If we wish to build a society that is open, fraternal and respectful of differences, it is vital to foster the culture of dialogue and adhere to it unfailingly.
“We need to adopt mutual cooperation as our code of conduct and reciprocal understanding as our way of life.
“We are called to pursue this path tirelessly in our effort to help each other overcome tensions and misunderstandings, cliches and stereotypes that penetrate fear and opposition,” the Pope said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Pope Francis was born as Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Dec. 17, 1936 in Buenos Aires.
He chose Francis as his Papal name in honour of Saint Francis of Assisi.
The Pope was ordained priest in 1969, and became the Archbishop of Buenos Aires in 1998.
He was also the first Jesuit Pope and the first from the Americas, the first from the Southern Hemisphere, the first visit and hold Papal Mass in the Arabian Peninsula and the first Pope form outside Europe.
NAN reports that the UN said some 7,500 undocumented migrant children are enrolled in Morocco’s schooling system, according to a new report released by UNESCO.
The Global Education Monitoring report for 2019, entitled: “Migration, displacement and education: Building Bridges, Not Walls”, found that a change in the law to accommodate immigrant children by lowering the standards of documentation required had resulted in thousands receiving access to education.
According to UNESCO, Morocco’s 2011 constitution altered the Law No. 4, which had limited access to education to only Moroccan children, by stipulating that all minors in the country had a right to receive schooling.
The study hailed the efforts of the Ministry of Education to open access to education for children from sub-Saharan African countries in 2013, but added that some document requirements are still somewhat “difficult to meet”. (NAN)