New papal appeal to help migrants at peril in Mediterranean

February 11, 2015

Pope Francis has again called attention to the plight of migrants crossing the Mediterranean in a bid to reach Europe.

At the conclusion of his regular weekly public audience on February 11, the Pontiff said that he was troubled by the news that migrants had died of exposure before reaching the island of Lampedusa. He renewed his appeal for “solidarity so that no one is without necessary aid.”

The Catholic weekly Famiglia Cristiana had earlier issued a call for restoration of an Italian humanitarian operation, Mare Nostrum, which had rescued tens of thousands of migrants in a search-and-rescue mission that began in 2013. The magazine said that the latest deaths prove that current arrangements are inadequate to protect the many thousands of Africans who set sail for Europe, often in flimsy vessels, every month.

 

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Further information:

• Pope Francis appeals for solidarity and aid for migrants (Vatican Radio)
• Return to migrant sea op urged (ANSA)