MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS TO THE PRESIDENT OF PANAMA ON THE OCCASION OF THE SEVENTH SUMMIT OF THE AMERICAS

[…] I would also like to call attention to the problem of immigration. The immense disparity of opportunities among some countries and others means that many people are obliged to leave their land, their family, becoming easy prey to human trafficking and slave labour, with neither rights nor access to justice…. In some cases, the lack of cooperation between States means many people are left outside the law and without the chance to assert their rights, forcing them into a position between being taken advantage of by others or resignation to becoming victims of abuse. They are situations in which, in order to protect fundamental rights, it is no enough to apply the law, whereby rules without compassion and mercy do not correspond to justice.[…]