Greece: Pope Francis at the bedside of migrants on the island of Lesbos
Pope Francis upon his arrival on the island of Lesbos, December 5, 2021. via REUTERS - VATICAN MEDIA
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Five years after his first visit to the island of Lesbos in the midst of a migratory crisis, the Pope is once again on the move in a migrant camp on the Greek island.
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Welcomed by many families and exiled children,
welcoming him
"
welcome
",
Pope Francis
arrived this Sunday morning in the migrant camp on
the Greek island of Lesbos
which has been facing a strong influx of refugees crossing the region for several years. Mediterranean.
After greeting those present to welcome him, the Sovereign Pontiff delivered a vibrant speech calling for an end to a “
shipwreck of civilization
”.
The Mediterranean "
is becoming a cold cemetery without tombstones,
" the Pope also said in front of migrants at the Lesvos camp.
In a tent, he then listened to the songs of a choir of exiles, before being saddened that the Mediterranean, "
cradle of so many civilizations
" is "
now like a mirror of death
", recalling "
the raw images little bodies lying on the beaches
”.
"
Let us not allow the 'mare nostrum' to turn into a distressing 'mare mortuum', for this meeting place to become the theater of conflicts!
Let us not let this sea of memories become the sea of oblivion
”, he urged in front of Greek President Katerína Sakellaropoúlou.
This stopover in Lesbos is faster than the visit made in 2006, recalled our
special correspondent, Joël Bronner
.
Pope Francis must also go to the Mavrovouni camp, which still houses nearly 2,200 asylum seekers, in difficult conditions.
The Mavrovouni migrant camp on the island of Lesbos on December 4, the day before Pope Francis' visit.
REUTERS - ELIAS MARCOU
The Pope then returns to Athens, where he already
denounced yesterday a Europe
"
torn by nationalist egotism
", to celebrate a mass there in front of some 2,500 faithful in a huge concert hall.
The cause of the refugees is once again the cornerstone of the Pope's 35th trip.
(And with
AFP)
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Pope Francis
Greece
International Migration