The Latest: Pope calls for generosity in Italy over migrants

In this picture made available Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2016, protesters try blocking a road with pallets to prevent a bus carrying migrants from passing, in Goro, near Ferrara, Italy. Residents in an Adriatic coastal town posted a blockade overnight to prevent the arrival of 12 female migrants, one of them pregnant, who were to be housed in a hostel, in a sign of growing tension amid persistent migrant arrivals. (Filippo Rubin/ANSA via AP) In this picture made available Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2016, protesters try blocking a road with pallets to prevent a bus carrying migrants from passing, in Goro, near Ferrara, Italy. Residents in an Adriatic coastal town posted a blockade overnight to prevent the arrival of 12 female migrants, one of them pregnant, who were to be housed in a hostel, in a sign of growing tension amid persistent migrant arrivals. (Filippo Rubin/ANSA via AP)

By Associated Press October 26, 2016 3 min read

CALAIS, France (AP) – The Latest on the influx of asylum-seekers and migrants to Europe (all times local):

12:35 p.m.

The pope has appealed for openness and generosity over immigration as Italy grapples with how to accommodate a growing number of migrants.

Pope Francis’ appeal on Wednesday came the day after residents of an Adriatic coastal town formed a blockade to prevent the arrival of 12 female migrants, one of them pregnant, who were to be housed in a hostel. In the face of resistance, officials found lodging elsewhere.

Francis said that “in every age, the phenomenon of immigration calls for a response of openness and solidarity. In our own day, the growing influx of refugees fleeing war, famine and poverty is a summons to welcome and care for these brothers and sisters.”