Pope Francis on Friday urged that “people who are at risk of drowning when abandoned on the waves must be rescued”, speaking against a background of heightened tensions in Europe over large numbers of arrivals by sea from the Middle East and North Africa.
In remarks dedicated to migrants lost at sea during a visit to the French Mediterranean city of Marseille, he said “it is a duty of humanity, it is a duty of civilisation” to save people in difficulty, warning governments against the “fanaticism of indifference” and “paralysis of fear”.
The desperate conditions that cause many people to leave their homes for a new life, and the risks they take to do so, have been a key theme in the 86-year-old's decade as head of the worldwide Catholic Church.
But his visit to the French port city, to take part in a meeting of Mediterranean-area Catholic bishops and young people, puts him at the centre of a political storm.
Migrant crisis
A surge in migrant boats arriving from North Africa on the tiny Italian island of Lampedusa last week trigged outrage in Italy and a heated debate across Europe over how to share responsibility for the numbers.
Marseille is a historic gateway for immigrants and also home to some of the poorest neighbourhoods in Europe, many of which are plagued by drug trafficking.
The desperate conditions that cause many people to leave their homes for a new life, and the risks they take to do so, have been a key theme during Francis's decade as head of the Catholic Church.
Speaking at the Vatican on Sunday, he noted that migration "represents a challenge that is not easy ... but which must be faced together".
He emphasised the need for "fraternity, putting human dignity and real people, especially those most in need, in first place".
Ahead of what will be his 44th overseas trip, Francis acknowledged this month that papal voyages were not as easy as they used to be.
He underwent hernia surgery in June, less than two years after having colon surgery, and routinely uses a wheelchair because of a troublesome knee.
Meeting pilgrims
Despite the decline in France of Catholicism, the once dominant faith, the pope's visit has sparked huge enthusiasm, with almost 60,000 people expected at a mass on Saturday afternoon.
"Habemus papam" headlined regional newspaper La Provence, using the famous Latin phrase meaning "We have a pope!" used on the election of a pontiff.
For Joseph Achji, a 25-year-old Syrian Christian originally from Aleppo, the pope's visit is a "chance of a lifetime".
He will head to the Basilica of Notre-Dame de la Garde, a symbolic monument overlooking the city, for a prayer with local clergy on Friday afternoon.
That will be followed by a moment of meditation with representatives of other religions at a memorial to sailors and migrants lost at sea.
The United Nations estimates that more than 28,000 migrants who have tried to cross the Mediterranean since 2014 have gone missing.
After 8,500 migrants landed on Lampedusa in three days earlier this month, the European Union promised more help for Rome.
But France, amid wrangling over a draft law governing migrant arrivals there, said it would not accept anyone from the island.
"We are expecting very strong words" from the pope, said Francois Thomas, head of Marseille-based SOS Mediterranee, which operates a migrant rescue boat in the sea.
"It is our humanity that is sinking if Europe does not do something."
Macron to attend mass
French President Emmanuel Macron will attend the Pope's mass in Marseille, a decision that has sparked controversy among left-wing politicians in the strictly secular country.
The pontiff has a cordial relationship with Macron, who was himself educated by Jesuits, and the leaders have already seen each other three times.
Thierry Rambaud, a law professor in Paris, said the pope "is a foreign head of state, it's normal for the president to meet him and be present at the ceremony".
"Of course Emmanuel Macron is president of a secular republic, but many of his fellow citizens are of Catholic faith and it's a way of showing respect," he added.
(AFP)
