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Pope Francis sharply condemned the inaction during a boat crash off the coast of Libya this week.
The up to 130 occupants of the inflatable boat, which was in distress, had asked for help for days, but those who could have helped them decided to look the other way, said Francis on Sunday in the Vatican.
"It's a moment of shame."
The occupants of the boat reported on Wednesday that they were in distress.
Lifeboats from Italy, Malta and Libya were alerted.
When a lifeboat from the aid organization SOS Méditerranée and a merchant ship reached the scene of the tragedy on Thursday, ten bodies were swimming in the water and the boat had run out of air.
No survivors were found.
130 passengers are said to have been on board the boat.
"I admit that the tragedy that has happened again in the Mediterranean in the past few days pains me very much," said the Pope.
“130 migrants died in the sea.
They are people, human beings, who asked for help in vain for two whole days, help that never came. ”He asked the believers to pray for the dead.
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Just a few hours later, the Italian coast guard reported that they had rescued a fishing boat with around 100 occupants with the help of a container ship. It was discovered on Saturday and towed to a port in Calabria in southern Italy on Sunday, the coast guard said.