(OSV News) -- The president of the European bishops' commission warned that new migration regulations recently approved by the European Union, including fast-track deportation and expanded detentions for migrants, raise serious ethical and humanitarian concerns.
In a statement published June 17, Italian Bishop Mariano Crociata of Latina, president of the Commission of the Bishops' Conferences of the European Union, or COMECE, said the Catholic Church recognizes "the legitimate responsibility of public authorities to manage migration, ensure the integrity of borders and combat human trafficking."
However, he noted, certain aspects of the regulations adopted by the EU Parliament June 17 "risk weakening the effective protection of fundamental rights and the dignity of vulnerable persons."
"Migration is not merely a matter of procedures, statistics or border management. It concerns human beings: women, men and children, each possessing an inviolable dignity that must remain at the center of every policy decision," Bishop Crociata said.
According to the EU Parliament, the framework, known as the "Common system for the return of third-country nationals staying illegally in the Union," sought to streamline migration enforcement across member states as well as "simplify and speed up procedures."
Among the areas of particular concern to the European bishops was the extension of detention parameters. While immigration detention remains capped at 12 months, the new regulations allow national authorities to extend detentions for up to 24 months if a migrant doesn't cooperate or if third countries delay travel documents.
Recalling Pope Leo XIV's recent visit to the Canary Islands during his June 6-12 trip to Spain, Bishop Crociata said the pope's reminder to Europe that it cannot remain indifferent to the plight of migrants challenges "our conscience and calls us to look beyond fear and political expediency."
"The European Union was founded on the conviction that human dignity is inviolable and that solidarity among peoples is not an optional ideal but a fundamental responsibility," he said.
The COMECE president also raised concerns regarding the increased shift in asylum and border management to countries outside the EU. It also removed the suspension of deportation should a migrant appeal his or her case. Instead, they must make a separate request to a court or tribunal.
Bishop Crociata urged the EU Parliament to ensure that migration and asylum policies remain grounded in respect for human rights and dignity, including "the right to seek asylum, the protection of family unity, and special care for the most vulnerable."
Noting that security and solidarity should not be considered opposing principles, the Italian bishop said the recently passed legislation concerned more than just migration policy, but raised a "a broader question about the kind of Europe we wish to build."
"At this decisive moment, Europe is called not to retreat from its founding values, but to reaffirm them with courage, wisdom and humanity," he said.
