Helping those without rights to step out of the shadows

By extending his compassion to those who lack property rights, Pope Francis has an opportunity to do very much for very many, writes Hernando de Soto

On February 17, Pope Francis is scheduled to celebrate Mass in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, just south of the border with the US. He will surely take that opportunity to urge support for the poor in Mexico and for those who have migrated north.

After all, that is what he did in September during his moving homily in New York’s Madison Square Garden. Referring to the 11m undocumented immigrants in the US, he asked his listeners to reach out to “all those people who don’t appear to belong, or are second-class citizens... because they have no right to be there”.