Pope Francis has complimented the people of Mexico during his weekly audience, praising them for being "so welcoming to migrants. God bless you".
A group of Mexicans present in St Peter's Square for the Wednesday audience cheered and waved a Mexican flag at the comments.
Francis has frequently been vocal in his support of Mexico's efforts to help migrants and critical of the United States for blocking migrants at the border.
During a visit to the US-Mexico border in 2016, he criticised then-presidential candidate Donald Trump, suggesting that anyone who wanted to build a wall along the border was "not a Christian".
In April, the pontiff donated 500,000 US dollars to help migrants in Mexico, offering assistance to local projects that provide food, lodging and basic necessities.
Stay up to date with the latest news stories from a Christian perspective. Sign up to our daily newsletter and receive more stories like this straight to your inbox every morning.
A Monthly Gift Of $11 Makes A World Of Difference
In a world of fake news there’s never been a greater need for quality Christian journalism. Premier’s mission is to provide the Church with the most up to date and relevant news, told from a Christian perspective. But we can’t do it without you.
Unlike many websites we haven't put up a paywall — we want to keep our journalism free at the point of need and as open as we can. Premier’s news output takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. No one in the USA is sharing news like we are across radio, magazines and online so please help us to continue that today.
For a monthly gift of $11 or more we’d also be able to send you a free copy of the brand new Premier Bible, a wonderful Anglicised version of the NLT packed with exclusive bonus content, reading plan and resources to help you get the most out of scripture.
Your monthly support will make a world of difference. Thank you.
Support Us
Article by Press Association
Reporting courtesy of Press Association.