Pope Francis praised Morocco as a model of religious moderation and migrant welcome as he kicked off a trip to the kingdom Saturday, warning that walls and fear-mongering won't stop people from exercising their legitimate right to seek a better life elsewhere.
Pope Francis waves as he boards the airplane for Rabat, Morocco at Rome's Fiumicino International airport, Saturday, March 30, 2019. Published Saturday, March 30, 2019 8:39AM EDTRABAT, Morocco -- Pope Francis praised Morocco as a model of religious moderation and migrant welcome as he kicked off a trip to the kingdom Saturday, warning that border walls and fear-mongering won't stop people from exercising their rights to seek a better life elsewhere.
After an airport greeting, the king and pope took separate vehicles -- Francis in his popemobile and the king in a Mercedes with a retracted roof -- and paraded in tandem into town for a formal welcome ceremony at the complex where two of Morocco's former monarchs are buried. Women ululated as Francis and the king walked along the promenade of the Hassan Tower complex under umbrellas.
"This shared commitment is needed in order to avoid presenting new opportunities to those merchants of the human flesh who exploit the dreams and needs of migrants," he told the gathering at the Catholic-run Caritas charity. The EU agreed this summer to give Morocco $275 million to halt flows of illegal migrants, pushing the country to take a more violent approach in stopping them from leaving for Europe, activists say.
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