Pope Francis urged the world’s 1.3-billion Catholics not to ignore the plight of migrants and compared them with Joseph and Mary, but failed to mention that Joseph and Mary went to Bethlehem to register for a government census. They were not refugees. King Herod issued a decree to kill all the newborn male children because he heard that the Messiah had been born and wanted to exterminate competition for power. Joseph and Mary escaped to Egypt, which was also part of the Roman empire. Their stay was only temporary, and they returned to Nazareth when it was safe.
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