Pope blasts 'unwarranted' migrant fears

(ANSA) - Vatican City, October 1 - Pope Francis on Thursday blasted fear mongering in his message for the 2016 World Day of Migrants and Refugees. "Public opinion also needs to be correctly formed, not least to prevent unwarranted fears and speculations detrimental to migrants," the Argentine pontiff said in the message. "Migrants are our brothers and sisters in search of a better life, far away from poverty, hunger, exploitation and the unjust distribution of the planet's resources which are meant to be equitably shared by all".
    The pope has frequently called for Europe to show compassion and solidarity in dealing with the refugee crisis.
    And he is trying to lead by example.
    Last month Francis called on all European Catholic parishes to host at least one family of refugees.
    The Vatican itself is hosting a four-member family of Syrian refugees from Damascus and plans to give sanctuary to another.
    Monsignor Giancarlo Perego, the director of the Italian Catholic Church's Migrantes foundation, said Thursday religious structures hosted 10,000 asylum seekers in Italy last year.
    He said that figure will go up to 22,000 this year, accounting for one in four of the people to be received in Italy.
    "The tragic stories of millions of men and women daily confront the international community as a result of the outbreak of unacceptable humanitarian crises in different parts of the world," the pope said. "Indifference and silence lead to complicity whenever we stand by as people are dying of suffocation, starvation, violence and shipwreck. "Whether large or small in scale, these are always tragedies, even when a single human life is lost...
    "Today's refugees are fleeing from these aberrant crimes, and they appeal to the Church and the human community to ensure that, in the outstretched hand of those who receive them, they can see the face of the Lord, 'the Father of mercies and God of all consolation'". The pope chose 'Migrants and Refugees Challenge Us. The Response of the Gospel of Mercy' as the theme of 2016 World Day of Migrants and Refugees, which will take place on January 17.
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