During his visit to the port city of Marseille, in the south of France, Pope Francis used moving words to call for the rescue of refugees in the Mediterranean. “People who are at risk of drowning due to being exposed to the sea must be rescued. This is a duty of humanity, a duty of civilization”, said the Pope today at a ceremony in memory of refugees who try to reach Europe through the Mediterranean and often die during the dangerous crossing.
More than 2,000 deaths this year alone
This year, more than 2,000 people have died while fleeing across the Mediterranean. “Let us not get used to seeing boat accidents as news and those killed at sea as numbers: they have names and names, faces and stories”, emphasized the Pope in a memorial near the church of Notre-Dame de la Garde, where the participants had a wide view of the sea. Representatives of various religious communities participated in the funeral ceremony.
“We can no longer watch the tragedies of maritime accidents caused by human trafficking and the fanaticism of indifference,” the pope added. Once again he called the Mediterranean a “giant cemetery”, where people even lost the right to a burial place.
Meeting with young people
His long-planned visit, which concludes a meeting of bishops and young people from countries bordering the Mediterranean, coincides with the recent crisis on the Italian island of Lampedusa and the debate over a new immigration law in France.
France “will not accept any refugees”, said French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin recently, referring to the thousands of migrants from Africa who have arrived in Lampedusa. He assumed most of them were not entitled to asylum, he explained, and offered Italy to help with their repatriation.