ROME- A high-ranking member of the CEI, the Italian Episcopal Conference, has attacked Premier Matteo Renzi’s government for its handling of the European migrant crisis. In an interview with Famiglia Cristiana, a Catholic magazine, Secretary-General of the CEI Monsignor Nunzio Galantino said that “it is not enough to save migrants in the sea to put the national conscience at ease”. He also opposed the migration laws that “reject migrants and do not ensure a positive integration,” and police who escort migrants to Italy and then leave them to their own devices.

Galantino was also not shy to criticise left wing political parties Lega Nord and Movimento Cinque Stelle, who he had said were gaining from the migrants’ plight. Matteo Salvini and Beppe Grillo, head of Lega Nord and Cinque Stelle respectively had recently criticised the Pope. Galantino explained that there are bishops who house migrants and have never asked for money, and questioned whether Salvini or Grillo would do the same thing.

Just hours after Galantino made the statments, Famiglia Cristiana retracted the interview, saying that “the quotes attributed to Monsignor Galantino were reported in an exaggerated manner… (Galantino) was exploited in an interview which was supposed to be solely about the Church’s project.” The weekly magazine apologised to Monsignor Galantino.

Deobra Serracchiani, vice secretary of Renzi’s Democratic Party, responded to the criticism, highlighting that the Italian government is doing all it can to resolve the crisis and that Italy cannot possibly handle the migrant issue alone. Lega Nord’s Salvini had a more defensive response to Galatino’s comments: “Galatino, spokesperson for bishops, thinks that Italians must welcome all the immigrants, and because we don’t agree, we are greedy.” He continued by questioning the Catholic Church’s involvement in a political matter: “Is Italy still a republic or does it rely on the Vatican?” On Facebook, Salvini added that open border immigration would be chaos, leaving 4 million unemployed and 9 million in poverty without a roof over their head.

Meanwhile the migrant crisis ensues, with the ports of Southern Italy bringing in hundreds of migrants, many of them young children and expectant mothers.