VATICAN CITY, NOV. 7, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Following Italy's deportation of more than a dozen Romanian immigrants last week, Romania's prime minister thanked Benedict XVI today for encouraging tolerance in migration.
Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, director of the Vatican press office, confirmed that after this morning's general audience held in St. Peter's Square, the Pope was visited by Romanian Prime Minister Calin Popescu Tariceanu.
The prime minister thanked the Holy Father for encouraging the welcome of immigrants, Father Lombardi said.
He added that during the brief meeting, the Romanian prime minister thanked the Holy Father for what both he and the Church do to welcome immigrants and to educate people in tolerance, and for the words to that effect pronounced by the Pope at last Sunday's Angelus when he underlined the importance of welcome and security. The prime minister also expressed the hope that such a positive attitude should continue.
Tariceanu's comments came amid rising tension in Italy over the immigration issue. Last week a 24-year-old Romanian citizen, a member of a Gypsy community, was arrested for the rape and murder of an Italian naval officer's wife. Authorities on Saturday tore down the Gypsy camp. And Oct. 31, Italy passed a decree allowing the deportation of European Union citizens considered to be dangerous. Some 20 Romanians were later deported.
Also today, the prime ministers of Italy and Romania made a joint appeal to the European Union to tackle problems stemming from immigration, particularly that of transient Gypsy communities.
Romanian immigrants have flooded into Italy since the start of the year when the country joined the EU, giving its citizens the right to travel to any country in the 27-nation bloc. Romanians in Italy now number more 500,000, the biggest foreign community, and account for about 1% of the population, the Caritas organization estimates.
ZE07110706 - 2007-11-07