RELIGION

Pope Francis' visit to Morocco to focus on migration

Associated Press
Published | Updated

Santiago Agrelo Martinez, Archbishop of Tangier, speaks to journalists at Casablanca's Notre Dame church to brief them on the upcoming papal visit, in Morocco, Tuesday, March 5, 2019. Pope Francis will be in Morocco on March 30-31 (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

Priest Daniel Nourissat of Rabat Cathedral takes notes during a presser at Casablanca's Notre Dame church to brief them on the upcoming papal visit, in Morocco, Tuesday, March 5, 2019. Pope Francis will be in Morocco on March 30-31 (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

Morocco's bishops say migration issues will top the agenda when Pope Francis visits the country that is a key transit point for migrants trying to reach Europe at the end of the month.

The Catholic church in Morocco mainly works with people from Sub-Saharan Africa who make up 50 to 70 percent of churchgoers, many of whom are migrants illegally staying in the majority Muslim country.

"Pope Francis loves to go to frontiers, to places of transit", said Cristobal Lopez Romero, archbishop of Rabat, at a news conference in Casablanca Tuesday. The pope visits March 30-31.

Morocco's officials have repeatedly said the country cannot be the region's immigration police. Yet crackdowns on migrants and deportations are rampant, pushing international rights organizations to denounce Morocco's security measures.