Pope Francis says don't close eyes to causes of migration

(ANSA) - Vatican City, September 14 - Pope Francis said on Friday during an audience with Catholic charitable organisations working in Syria, Iraq, and surrounding countries, that the reasons for migration must not be ignored. "We can't close our eyes to the causes that have forced millions of people to leave, with pain, their own land," the pontiff said. "At the same time, I encourage all those involved and the international community to renew their commitment in favor of a safe return home for the displaced. Ensuring their protection and future is a duty of civilization," he said.