Vatican presses the States on Guantanamo prisoners
The Vatican is asking the United States to find an “adequate humanitarian solution” for prisoners held at the Guantanamo Bay detention centre.
The Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, made the request during a meeting with US secretary of state John Kerry.
The two sides discussed the US’s commitment to closing the facility, Vatican spokesman Reverend Federico Lombardi said.
He said Mr Parolin expressed the Holy See’s desire that “favourable attention” be paid to finding a solution for the inmates.
Pope Francis has spoken out forcefully about the need to protect prisoners’ dignity and, without citing the US by name, harshly criticised the policy of extraordinary renditions used after September 11, 2001.
He has also denounced life sentences and the use of isolation for inmates.
