Relations between the Italian Catholic Church and Premier Giorgia Meloni's government are good, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, the President of the Italian Episcopal Conference (CEI), has said.
"'There is good dialogue and very good cooperation on certain issues," Archbishop of Bologna Zuppi told La Civiltà Cattolica magazine in an interview.
He said the CEI had dialogue with the executive on the issue of migrants, as it did with previous governments.
Meloni's government has said stopping migrants illegally arriving in Italy is a priority and, among other things, it has passed legislation to regulate the activities of NGO-runsearch-and-rescue ships, saying they act as a pull factor.
"The request is to save people (in distress at sea) and create a system that works, that defeats illegality with legality," Zuppisaid.
"Unfortunately, when this attention (to the issue of migrants) is perceived as an optional or distorted into 'let everyone in', we don't agree.
"The Church has never said let 'everyone in', just like it hasn't ever said 'everyone out'.
"It has said everyone must be saved (at sea) and a serious, functional reception system must be created based on rights and duties.
"This requires European policy too and Europe is largely absent, unfortunately.
"Humanitarian corridors are a clear indication of how it is possible to have people arrive with security".
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