A senior Roman Catholic cardinal at the Vatican has criticized a U.S. plan to build an 1,100-kilometer fence along the border with Mexico.

Cardinal Renato Martino called the project "inhumane" Tuesday during a news conference to discuss Pope Benedict's annual message to migrants.

He praised bishops in Mexico and the United States for opposing the fence plan. Cardinal Martino also called on governments around the world to do more to help integrate migrants into their new countries.

President Bush signed a bill into law last month on the border fence, saying it is needed to prevent criminals and terrorists from illegally entering the country.

Opponents of the plan say U.S. officials should improve enforcement of current immigration laws and that Congress should pass comprehensive immigration reform.

Some information for this report provided by AP and Reuters.