In his weekly general audience, Pope Francis denounced indifference to migrants who risk their lives crossing deserts and seas in search of a better life, and called for a global system of governance based on justice and solidarity.
Devin Watkins
Pope Francis interrupted his series of talks on the Holy Spirit during his general audience on Wednesday.
Instead, he focused on drawing attention to the plight of migrants who brave difficult conditions in search of a peaceful and safe place to live.
“Sea and desert” were two words the Pope emphasized, and which he said appear often in the language of migrants and those who try to help them.
With these words, he meant to include all the physical barriers and dangers that immigrants had to overcome on their journey.
Pope Francis said he has spoken frequently about the Mediterranean Sea because he is the bishop of Rome and because the sea serves as a symbol.
“Mare Nostrum,” he said, using the Latin expression the ancient Romans used to describe the Mediterranean Sea, “a place of communication between peoples and civilizations turned into a cemetery.”
The Pope noted that most of these deaths could have been prevented, and condemned those who are “systematically pushing back migrants by all means.”
“And when we do this consciously and responsibly, it becomes a grave sin,” he said. “Let us not forget that the Bible says, ‘You shall not mistreat or oppress the foreigner.'”
Pope Francis said the sea and the desert are full of symbolism in the Bible, as they “bear witness to the drama of people fleeing oppression and slavery.”
“It is a place of suffering, fear and despair, but it is also a waypoint towards liberation, salvation and the fulfillment of God’s promises,” he said.
The Pope added that God himself shares in the tragedies migrants endure: “God is with them, he suffers with them, he weeps with them and he hopes with them.”
Pope Francis said everyone can agree that “migrants do not belong in those dangerous seas or deserts.”
But this goal cannot be achieved through tougher laws or militarization of the border, he said.
“We will achieve this by expanding safe and regular pathways for migration and ensuring places of refuge for those fleeing war, violence, persecution and various disasters,” he said. “We will achieve this by promoting in every way a global governance of migration based on justice, fraternity and solidarity.”
The Pope concluded his reflections by praising the work of “the many good Samaritans who, on all five continents, dedicate themselves to helping and rescuing migrants, injured and abandoned, along the desperate roads of hope.”
He mentioned in particular the work of Mediterranea Saving Humans, an Italian civil society organisation that aims to rescue migrants crossing the Mediterranean Sea.
“These brave men and women are symbols of a humanity that is not infected by a harmful throwaway culture of indifference,” he said.
“Even if we cannot be on the front lines, each of us can contribute in our own way to this ‘battle for civilization’ through prayer,” he concluded.
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