Pope Francis says refusing assistance to migrants is a “great sin”

Pope Francis today denounced the treatment of migrants crossing the Mediterranean to reach Europe, saying it is a “great sin” not to offer assistance to migrant boats.

“There are those who work systematically and in every way to repel migrants,” the pontiff said during the weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square. “And this, when done with full awareness and responsibility, is a great sin,” he added.

Pope Francis has often spoken about the treatment of migrants during his 11 years in office. However, today’s statement about a “great sin” is particularly pointed.

The crossing of the Mediterranean by migrants, who board boats or makeshift vessels departing from North Africa and the Middle East, has been a subject of intense public debate throughout Europe in the last decade.

The International Organisation for Migration estimates that at least 30,000 migrants who crossed the Mediterranean are missing since 2014.

In Italy, a rescue ship operated by the NGO Doctors Without Borders was detained for 60 days on Monday. The authorities stated that the vessel, which had carried out several rescue operations on August 23, did not properly notify its movements.

Doctors Without Borders denied these allegations, saying, “We have been sanctioned simply because we fulfilled our legal duty to save lives.”

Pope Francis today called for the expansion of safe and legal pathways for migrants and “a global management of migration based on justice, fraternity, and solidarity.”

The pope said that “militarising borders” will not solve the issue.

In recent weeks, Pope Francis has presented a series of thoughts on spiritual matters during the weekly audiences.

At the beginning of today’s speech, the pope said that this week, he is interrupting this series of thoughts on spiritual matters to reflect on “people who cross seas and deserts to find a place where they can live in peace and safety.”

Today’s audience is the last before Pope Francis, 87, embarks on a four-country tour of Southeast Asia next week, from September 2 to 13.

It is the longest trip to date for the pontiff, who now regularly uses a wheelchair due to pain in his knee and back.

(information from protothema.gr)