Pope appeals for respect for the dignity of farm workers

By Vatican News

“On May 1, I received several messages about the world of work and its problems,” the Pope said during his weekly General Audience in the Vatican. He said, he “was particularly struck by that of the farm workers, among them many immigrants, who work in the Italian countryside.” “Unfortunately,” he pointed out, “many times they are very harshly exploited.” 

“It is true that the current crisis affects everyone ,” he said, “but people’s dignity must always be respected.” “That is why,” he continued, “I add my voice to the appeal of these workers and of all exploited workers.” He wished that the “crisis may give us the opportunity to make the dignity of the person and of work the centre of our concern”.

Earlier on April 16, Caritas Europa made a similar appeal calling on Europe’s 46 nations to defend the rights of migrant farm workers, amid fear of food supply shortages during the Covid-19 restrictions.