In Cyprus, Pope Francis calls for "unity" in the midst of the migration crisis
Pope Francis during his address at the Maronite Cathedral in the old walled city of Nicosia during the first stop of his visit to the island of Cyprus, December 2, 2021. AFP - ANDREAS SOLARO
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5 mins
Pope Francis began his visit to the Mediterranean on Thursday, December 2, in Cyprus.
This is the second trip by the Sovereign Pontiff to the Mediterranean island, which has been divided since 1974 and has been facing, for several months, a massive influx of refugees.
Back to his first day in Nicosia.
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"
I pray for peace [and] I wish it with all my might
."
These are the strong words that Pope Francis spoke on this first day of travel to Cyprus, reports our special correspondent in Nicosia,
Anna Kurian
.
Arrived around 3 p.m. on this island located less than 100 kilometers from Turkey and Syria, the Pope first went by Fiat 500 to the Maronite Cathedral in Nicosia to meet the Catholic communities of the island.
"
I look at you and I see the richness of your diversity
", he rejoiced in front of these Maronite and Latin Catholics happy to receive a Pope in their home for the second time.
"
To build a future worthy of man, we must work together, overcome divisions, tear down walls and cultivate the dream of unity
", added the sovereign pontiff, warning against "
nationalist interests
" which could curb Europe.
Then it was to the presidential palace that Pope Francis went, where the Cypriot president was waiting to congratulate him on transferring 50 migrants from Cyprus to Italy.
The Head of State also asked the 84-year-old pontiff to alert the international community to find a just solution to the problem of an island cut in two since 1974.
It is through prayer and frank dialogue that the situation will improve, promised Pope Francis in his speech.
"Walk together"
The migration issue is at the heart of Pope Francis' visit to Cyprus, an island which says it has welcomed 10,000 migrants since the start of the year, mainly from the north of the island.
"
We need to welcome and integrate, to walk together
", continued François, referring to the Mediterranean as "
a sea which has cradled so many civilizations, a sea from which, even today, people disembark, peoples and cultures of all parts of the world
”.
The pontiff also said he was "
very concerned
" by the social, economic and humanitarian crisis in Lebanon, neighbor of the Mediterranean island: "
I feel the pain of a people tired and tried by violence and suffering.
"
This Friday morning, December 3, Francis will celebrate a public mass at the Nicosia municipal stadium in the presence of some 7,000 faithful, according to the organizers.
This is the only event in which the Latin Catholic community of Cyprus, made up of around 25,000 members - today mostly Asian immigrant workers and African refugees, will be able to participate.
In the evening, the pontiff will have the opportunity to illustrate his method during an ecumenical prayer with refugees on the island.
On the eve of his departure, the Pope stressed that his trip would be “
an opportunity to get closer to a wounded humanity
” with “
so many
migrants
in search of hope
”.
Thirty NGOs appeal to the Pope before his visit to Greece
After Cyprus, Francis will travel to another predominantly Orthodox country: he will be in Greece from Saturday where around thirty NGOs have joined forces to request a meeting with the Pope in an open letter.
This letter, made public during an online press conference this Thursday, aims in particular to inform the Sovereign Pontiff directly of the living conditions of asylum seekers in Greece and to discuss, more broadly, European migration policy.
Pope Francis is due in particular to visit the island of Lesbos on Sunday and visit the refugee camp of Mavrovouni, which succeeded that of Moria, destroyed by fire in September 2020.
Asked by our special envoy to Lesbos,
Joël Bronner
, the head of the NGO Arsis, Katerina Poutou believes that this visit by the Pope represents a “
great opportunity
” for the NGOs which help migrants.
“
Five years after her first visit to Greece [on the island of Lesvos], this is an opportunity to show the progress that has been made since 2015, since the opening of migratory routes in the Aegean Sea,
” she said.
It is an opportunity to show the renewal of the role of civil society organizations in the service of individuals and their needs, as well as their contribution to the procedures of democratic life.
"
New model of refugee camps
Like the words of Katerina Poutou, from the NGO Arsis, for the 36 organizations that have decided to speak with one voice - the Greek Council for Refugees, Hias, Caritas or even Doctors of the World - to try to benefit from the media light represented by the Pope's visit to Greece in the days to come.
The joint letter of these different organizations calls moreover for “
the influence
” of the Pope to try to “
put an end
” to the refoulements of asylum seekers in the direction of Turkey.
Human rights associations also hope that this same influence can help shape a new model of refugee camps, different from that of the so-called "
closed to controlled access
"
camps
that are emerging. on the islands of the Aegean Sea and which have, underlines the text, the appearance of prisons.
With the possible help of the Pope, the NGOs say they expect, in short, a real "
change of philosophy
".
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To read also: Pope Francis begins a four-day trip to the Mediterranean
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