Cardinal says immigrants 'need to be welcomed'

The head of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor has called upon the nation to be more welcoming to immigrants.

During his midnight mass on Christmas Eve the Cardinal said that while he understood the need for immigration control, immigrants themselves often face undeserved hostility.

He said, "Most immigrants come to our country because they wish to have a better life and work so as to provide for their families. What concerns me at the moment is our attitude as a nation to these many immigrants.

"Many of these people are trying, for perfectly good reasons, to enter Britain and they need to be welcomed. I understand that immigration needs to be controlled. However, sometimes they must feel like Joseph when he returned to Bethlehem after exile in Egypt, simply excluded because they are outsiders," reports the BBC.

During his Christmas Homily, broadcast live on BBC Radio 4 Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor said that the celebration of Christ's birth was for everyone.

He said that Christians should make sure that, "nothing and nobody remains untouched by the tidings of comfort and joy that came from heaven on the first Christmas night".