Ken Loach champions solidarity with Pope on migrant crisis

Renowned British filmmaker Ken Loach, whose work is characterised by its focus on social issues, has called for solidarity with the Pope’s work for migrants. Loach met with the Pope at the Vatican earlier in the year.

Ken Loach at the 67th San Sebastián International Film Festival, 26 September, 2019. Photo: Claude Medale/Corbis

WelCom December 2023

Renowned British filmmaker Ken Loach, whose work is characterised by its focus on social issues, has called for solidarity with the Pope’s work for migrants. Loach met with the Pope at the Vatican earlier in the year.

When asked by La Croix to comment on the Pope’s recent denunciation of the ‘fanaticism of indifference’ towards the migrant crisis, Loach responded: ’Solidarity with the Pope! Migrants are drowning; who can be indifferent? It is our duty to help them. The Pope reaffirmed that the rights of the earth and labour must be respected. He also spoke of the need to rediscover the revolutionary truth of the Gospels.’ 

‘Isn’t it written there that “it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God”? How does one become rich? Not by being a carpenter but by making money from the labour of others. This has a long echo in the English Christian tradition, which challenges the notion of ownership and denounces the exploitation of man’s labour by man.’

Loach was responding to La Croix in an interview that deals largely with the themes of his work and his latest film ‘The Old Oak’.

Loach’s work often addresses themes such as poverty, inequality, and the struggles of ordinary people and is characterised by its focus on social issues and the human condition. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential and respected directors in the history of British cinema.

Many of his films have received critical acclaim and won numerous awards, including the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival.

Source: La Croix