“The situation is cruel”: Pope denounces indifference to the fate of migrants Black Sea Fleet commander apparently dead +++ Biden promises Zelensky ATACMS missiles

Pope Francis has denounced indifference to the fate of migrants trying to reach Europe from Africa via the Mediterranean Sea. “Let us not get used to seeing shipwrecks as headlines and deaths at sea as mere numbers,” the head of the Catholic Church said on Friday at the start of a visit to the French port city of Marseille. “People in danger of drowning if exposed to the waves need to be rescued. This is a duty of humanity, a duty of civilization,” the pope said at a monument to migrants who drowned in the Mediterranean.

“And so this beautiful sea has become a vast cemetery where many brothers and sisters are denied even the right to a grave – only human dignity is buried here,” the Pope said. «Friends, there is also a crossroads before us: on the one hand, brotherhood, which enriches human community with good things; on the other hand, the indifference that stains the Mediterranean Sea with blood,” the 86-year-old warned.

‘We are at a crossroads of civilization. “We cannot stand to see people being bartered, imprisoned and brutally tortured, we can no longer watch the tragedies of shipwrecks caused by vicious human trafficking and a fanaticism of indifference,” said Das, the church’s leader.

The plight of migrants is central during Francis’ visit to Marseille for a youth meeting with participants from 29 Mediterranean countries. This month alone, more than 10,000 migrants landed on the Italian island of Lampedusa in the Mediterranean Sea. Fatal incidents also occur again and again. At the start of his trip, the Pope expressed shock at conditions there. “The situation in Lampedusa is brutal, a terrible lack of humanity.”

On the outbound flight, Francis also spoke to journalists about the situation in Libya, where many migrants are waiting to reach Europe via the Mediterranean Sea. According to a report by Italian television channel RAI, he literally said: “They are keeping them in camps in Libya and then throwing them into the sea.” Many of the boats that bring people from African countries to Lampedusa for money come from Libya and Tunisia. Migrants often drown during the crossing.

According to French sources, migration will also be an important topic during a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday. 60,000 worshipers are expected at a mass in the Vélodrome stadium. (sda/dpa)