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Father Mauricio Rueda Beltz, papal trip organizer, helps Pope Francis descend the presidential palace front steps, flanked by Panama's President Juan Carlos Varela and first lady Lorena Castillo, in Panama City, Thursday, Jan. 24, 2019. Francis opens his first full day Thursday with a visit to the presidential palace and ends with an evening welcome for young Catholics who have gathered in Panama for World Youth Day. AP/PTI Photo[/caption]
Panama City, Jan. 26 (PTI/AFP): Pope Francis railed Friday against the marginalisation of convicts and others who society has deemed "sinners," and staunchly defended migrants as he joined hundreds of thousands of young Catholics in Panama.
In a swipe at US President Donald Trump's plans to build a border wall against Central American migrants, the pope told hundreds of thousands of young pilgrims that it was "senseless" to condemn every immigrant "as a threat to society."
The Argentine pontiff was speaking at the end of a solemn ceremony commemorating Christ's Crucifixion, which drew the largest crowd of pilgrims of his five-day visit.
The organisers said the Way of the Cross ceremony drew 400,000 pilgrims to hear the pope at a park in Panama City. The World Youth Day committee say 110,000 people had officially registered for the six-day event, which ends on Sunday.
The Vatican faced questions Friday over why the pope, who addressed hundreds of Central American bishops the day before, had not taken the opportunity to speak out against the scourge of clergy sex abuse afflicting the Church.
His spokesman Alessandro Gisotti said that it was never far from Francis' mind because the Church was under "incredible pressure." But it was "not necessary" the pope should raise the issue at every gathering of bishops or of young people, he said.
Gisotti said next month's meeting of leading bishops in Rome would be a unique chance to provide them with "concrete measures" to tackle the "terrible plague." In his evening homily, Francis returned to his theme of defending migrants during this visit to Central America, the hub for migrant caravans heading north through Mexico to the US border.
The Church wanted to foster a culture "that welcomes, protects, promotes and integrates, that does not stigmatize, much less indulge in a senseless and irresponsible condemnation of every immigrant as a threat to society." The pope has previously spoken out against the "fears and suspicions" of migrants during his trip.
In the crowd was 23-year-old Honduran student Wiston Medina. "Many of my friends have lost their jobs and gone to the United States. Everyone in Honduras has family in the US, they left looking for a better future."