Pope meets with refugees who survived shipwreck

October 02, 2014

Pope Francis met on October 1 with 50 survivors of the October 2013 Lampedusa migrant shipwreck, in which over 350 refugees from Africa and the Middle East perished.

“I find it difficult to speak to you because I don’t know what to say,” said Pope Francis. “I cannot express what I feel, because words are not enough to describe what you have suffered, this can only be contemplated in silence, with tears and by trying to find a way to be close to you.”

“The lives of people who need to migrate is hard, and when there are tragedies on this journey of migration, it becomes even harder, and when the end for those who have managed to reach a safe harbor seems certain then other even harsher realities arise, very often doors are closed, and you do not know where to go,” he added. “Let me just say to you that I am close to you, I pray for you, I pray for closed hearts that they may open.”

 

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Further information:

• Pope to Europe: Open the doors of your heart (Vatican Radio)
• 2013 Lampedusa migrant shipwreck (Wikipedia)