Pope Denounces Exploitation of Migrant Workers

Speaking During Visit to Prato

During a visit to Prato, an Italian town near Florence which attracts Chinese workers for the textile industry, Pope Francis chose to speak about the exploitation of migrant workers and the sweatshop conditions many of them have to work in.  It was in Prato in December 2013 that  seven Chinese workers, five men and two women, were burnt to death in an unregulated factory after working a sixteen hour shift. Pope Francis said this event was “a tragedy of exploitation and inhumane living conditions.”