Pope Francis on Saturday rejected the
prevailing narrative of a migrant invasion as "alarmist
propaganda" and said people who risk their lives at sea just
want to be welcomed. Speaking at the concluding session of the
Mediterranean Meetings in the French port city of Marseille, the
pope referred to the "various Mediterranean ports" that "have
been closed". "Two words ring out that fuel people's fears:
'invasion' and 'emergency', he said. "But those who risk their
lives at sea are not invading, they are seeking welcome, they
are seeking life," insisted Francis. "The migratory phenomenon
is not so much a momentary emergency, which is always good for
alarmist propaganda, but a fact of our time, a process that
involves three continents around the Mediterranean and that must
be governed with wise foresight," he continued, calling for
"European responsibility". The Pope said that there is "the
right both to emigrate and not to emigrate" and insisted on the
importance of not becoming indifferent. "The solution to the
terrible scourge of the exploitation of human beings is not to
reject, but to ensure, according to the possibilities of each, a
large number of legal and regular pathways for entry, which are
sustainable thanks to a fair reception by the European
continent, in the context of cooperation with the countries of
origin," continued Francis. "To say 'enough', on the other hand,
is to shut one's eyes; to try to 'save oneself' now will turn
into tragedy tomorrow," he added. Italy and Europe are grappling
with a significant rise in the number of migrants and refugees
arriving by sea and so far the response has been largely
security-focused with the emphasis on stopping departures.
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