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Pope Francis: Migrants do not conquer Europe

Politiko 2023-09-23 16:49:18

Pope Francis: Migrants do not conquer Europe

Pope Francis said on Saturday that Western governments should take more care of migrants who cross the Mediterranean, because "those who spend their lives at sea are not invaders, they seek welcome".

The Pope said during a visit to the French city of Marseille that migration is "a reality of our time, a process that involves three continents in the Mediterranean and the answer must be far-sighted, a European answer".

The Pope's remarks - made in front of French President Emmanuel Macron, whose government plans to take tougher measures against migration - follow his comments on Friday, when he said that "people who are at risk of drowning in the waves must to be saved".

How Europe is dealing with the large number of migrants from the Middle East and North Africa has been at the top of the European political agenda since last week, when thousands of people arrived on the Italian island of Lampedusa in a matter of days.

The Pope has also commented on some of France's domestic policies, including Macron's assisted death projects and the inclusion of the right to abortion in the country's constitution.

The head of the Holy See has warned that elderly people risk "being thrown away, under the pretext of a 'sweet' death, which is more 'brackish' than the waters of the sea".

Regarding abortion, the Pope has said that unborn children are "rejected in the name of a false right to progress, which is actually an appeal to the selfish needs of an individual".

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