Pope Francis, who made a lightening two-day trip to Rabat, praised Morocco for adopting a policy that guarantees protection and integration of migrants. The North African kingdom has stood out in Africa and the region as the only country that has a comprehensive migration policy offering residency status to migrants and full access to social services including health and education. Morocco has also led action at the continental and international level in favor of an orderly and solidarity-oriented migration policy while calling for international cooperation to tackle migration flows. In the speech he delivered before that of the Pope in the Hassan mosque esplanade in front of some 10,000 people from across Morocco, King Mohammed VI raised the issue of migration. Sub-Saharan migrants make the majority of the some 23,000 Catholics currently living in Morocco.

Source: The North Africa Journal March 31, 2019 21:33 UTC