Pope Francis: Efforts to shut down Annunciation House are ‘madness’

EL PASO, Texas ( KTSM ) — Pope Francis weighed in on the State of Texas’ bid to shut down El Paso’s Annunciation House and end the work it does to help migrants during an interview on CBS’ “60 Minutes” news magazine show on Sunday night, May 19.

The pope was asked about Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s effort to revoke the El Paso nonprofit’s registration and shut down its operations.

“That is madness, sheer madness to close the border and leave them there. That is madness. The migrant has to be received. Thereafter, you see how you’re going to deal with them. Maybe after you send them back, I don’t know. But each case ought to be considered humanely, right?” Pope Francis said.

In a lawsuit initially filed back in February, Paxton contends that Annunciation House has encouraged illegal entry into the United States and in effect operates as a stash house.

Annunciation House is “a volunteer organization that offers hospitality to migrants, immigrants, and refugees in El Paso,” according to the group’s website.

Elected leaders around the El Paso region and leaders in the Catholic Church around the country have rallied to Annunciation House and defended its work in the past few months since Paxton filed his initial suit.

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