Pope Francis issued a warning to Catholics who criticise his calls to welcome migrants with open arms, in a much-awaited text published today.
The Argentine pontiff has put the plight of people fleeing war, persecution and poverty at the heart of his five-year papacy, putting him at odds with a wave of anti-immigrant sentiment in many parts of the world.
In the third apostolic exhortation of his pontificate - a guideline on how Catholics can strive for "holiness" - the 81-year-old unexpectedly hit out at his critics.
"Some Catholics consider the situation of migrants to be a secondary issue," he wrote.
"That a politician looking for votes might say such a thing is understandable, but not a Christian for whom the only proper attitude is to stand in the shoes of those brothers and sisters of ours who risk their lives to offer a future to their children."
"Our defence of the innocent unborn needs to be clear, firm and passionate," he said, adding that the "lives of the poor" were "equally sacred."
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