Pope Francis strongly condemned the actions taken to block and repel migrants, describing such efforts as a “grave sin” during his address on Wednesday. He emphasized on the loss of lives as people were dumped in the desert during the journey. The Pope has been advocating for tolerance towards such people, especially refugees from war, poverty, or persecution seeking asylum in Europe from Africa by crossing the Mediterranean Sea.
Talking to the faithful during his weekly audience, Pope Francis also condemned restrictive immigration measures and practices that turn borders into war zones. He stated that it is morally wrong to make systematic attempts to push away migrants if this is done knowingly and deliberately. The Pope also recalled that the Mediterranean Sea has become a ‘graveyard,’ with more than 3,000 migrants reported missing last year, according to UN figures. He also noted that deserts are developing into cemeteries of migrants and some are even dumped.
Pope Francis noted that despite satellites and drones, millions of migrants including women and children are invisible and unrecognized by society except for the God who sees their plight. He extended his consideration to all hazardous paths, used by migrants: seas, deserts, oceans, lakes, rivers, forests, jungles, steppes.
Pope Francis appealed for ‘Legal and Safe’ ways for refugees and immigrants instead of high given laws and strong barriers. He also called for more global action to fight human trafficking. His comments follow the European Union’s recent acknowledgment of a “difficult situation” after reports that Tunisia, Morocco, and Mauritania were abandoning migrants in the desert, allegedly with EU financial backing to curb irregular migration to Europe.
