Francis interrupted the cycle of reflections on the Holy Spirit to speak about migration, insisting on the deadly difficulties that many face when crossing seas and deserts. He referred to the need for a “global governance of migration based on justice, fraternity and solidarity.” He condemned rejections and restrictive laws. He praised the commitment of people who rescue migrants, including Mediterranea Saving Humans.
Vatican City () – At this morning’s general audience, Pope Francis interrupted his cycle of reflections on the role of the Holy Spirit in the history of salvation and in the life of the Church to dedicate his address to the theme: “Sea and desert”. “They wandered in the desert, on a barren road, without finding a town to live in,” says the psalm (Psalm 107:1,4-6) that was read to the faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square in various languages. “I would like to pause with you to think of the people who – even at this moment – are crossing seas and deserts to reach a land where they can live in peace and security,” said the Holy Father, and he dedicated his address to two places: sea, that is, “all the treacherous bodies of water” and desert, “all those inclement and dangerous territories.”
“Modern migration routes are often marked by crossings of seas and deserts, which for many, too many people, are fatal.” At the last audience in August, the Pope wanted to focus attention on the theme of migration, just days before the start of his apostolic journey to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore (September 2-13). Regarding migration routes, he noted that some are known because they are “in the spotlight,” while others “are little known, but no less traveled.” “I have spoken many times about the Mediterranean, because I am the Bishop of Rome and because it is emblematic,” he continued. Indeed, one cannot speak of migration from the capital of Italy without mentioning the tragedies that are taking place in the Mare Nostrum, “a place of communication between peoples and civilizations that has become a cemetery,” Francis added.
“The tragedy is that many, most of these dead, could have been saved. It must be said clearly: there are those who systematically work by all means to repel migrants,” were the lapidary words of the Bishop of Rome. Whoever acts in this abusive manner “with conscience and responsibility” is sinning gravely, said Bergoglio. The gravity of this inhuman conduct is made clear by a biblical verse taken from the Book of Exodus: “You shall not mistreat or oppress a stranger” (Ex 22:20). “The orphan, the widow and the stranger are the poor par excellence whom God always defends and asks to defend themselves,” he said. Even so, migrants are forgotten, who are sometimes “taken away and abandoned” in the desert. Francis recalled the photo of Fati and Marie, who died embracing each other, the wife and daughter of the survivor Mbengue Nyimbilo Crepin, known as Pato, who have become a symbol of the humanitarian crisis on the border between Libya and Tunisia.
“In the age of satellites and drones, there are migrant men, women and children whom no one should see: they are hidden. Only God sees them and hears their cry. And this is a cruelty of our civilization,” said Pope Francis. But God never stays on the sidelines and is always close to these people who suffer and are desperate. “He shares the drama of migrants, God is with them, with the migrants, he suffers with them, with the migrants, he cries and hopes with them, with the migrants.” And he insisted: “The Lord is with our migrants in the Mare Nostrum, the Lord is with them, not with those who reject them.” In the seas and in the deserts – hostile places where the human conscience of those who are called to welcome is also lost – migrants should not be. On this “we can all agree,” said the Pontiff, indicating the path towards openness. “It is not through more restrictive laws, it is not through the militarization of borders, it is not through rejections that we will achieve this.” But “by promoting by all means a global governance of migration based on justice, fraternity and solidarity.”
Francis then recalled the places that are a symbol in Italy of the tragedy of the migration routes, such as Lampedusa and Crotone. In conclusion, he praised the commitment of the “good Samaritans” who do everything possible to help the wounded and exhausted migrants, abandoned “on the roads of desperate hope, on the five continents”. “These brave men and women are the sign of a humanity that does not allow itself to be infected by the bad culture of indifference and discarding”, praised the Holy Father. And among the associations that are on the front line of this fundamental and demanding mission, he named Mediterranea Saving Humans. A commitment that also calls to action even those who are not on the front line. “We cannot all be on the front line, but we are not excluded; there are many ways to contribute, first of all through prayer”, said Pope Francis.
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