Pope Francis has pushed back against the “belligerent nationalism” he said has led to claims that Europe is being invaded by migrants crossing the Mediterranean.
On the second day of his visit to Marseille for the Mediterranean Meetings, he called for more safe routes for refugees to end what he said was the “sea of death”, where thousands have drowned.
The way Europe addresses large numbers of migrants from the Middle East and North Africa has shot up the political agenda since last week, when thousands of people landed on the Italian island of Lampedusa in a matter of days.
The pontiff's call comes as the Lebanese army and civil defence rescued 27 migrants whose boat was sinking off the country’s north coast early on Saturday.
Closing the talks involving bishops and young people from around the Mediterranean, the Pope said that "those who risk their lives at sea do not invade, they look for welcome".
"There is a cry of pain that resonates most of all, and it is turning the Mediterranean, the 'mare nostrum', from the cradle of civilisation into the 'mare mortuum', the graveyard of dignity: it is the stifled cry of migrant brothers and sisters," he said, using Latin terms meaning "our sea" and "sea of death".
According to UN refugee agency, about 178,500 migrants have crossed the Mediterranean to Europe this year, while about 2,500 died or went missing.
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Pope Francis takes part in a Marian prayer at the Notre-Dame de la Garde basilica in Marseille, southern France. AFP -
The Pope attends the final session of the 'Mediterranean Meetings' (Rencontres Mediterraneennes) at the Palais du Pharo, in Marseille. EPA -
Pope Francis speaks during the final session of the 'Mediterranean Meetings' focusing on migration in the region at the Palais du Pharo, in Marseille. EPA -
Pope Francis is applauded at the final session of the 'Mediterranean Meetings' at the Palais du Pharo, in Marseille, EPA -
French President Emmanuel Macron meets Pope Francis at the Palais du Pharo. The Pope blasted the "fanaticism of indifference" that greets migrants seeking a better life in Europe. AP -
Pope Francis being welcomed by President Macron and his wife Brigitte as he arrives for the final session of the Rencontres Mediterraneennes meeting at the Palais du Pharo. AP -
The mayor of Marseille, Benoit Payan, left, with Pope Francis, President Macron and his wife Brigitte in the southern French city. EPA -
Pope Francis greets nuns as he arrives to meet people suffering economic hardship at the House of the Missionaries of Charity in Marseille. EPA -
Pope Francis during a moment of reflection with religious leaders near a monument in Marseille dedicated to sailors and migrants lost at sea. Reuters -
Pope Francis attends the Mediterranean meetings in Marseille. Reuters -
Pope Francis at Notre-Dame de la Garde basilica in Marseille. Reuters -
The Pope blesses a candle during a Marian prayer with the diocesan clergy at the Notre-Dame de la Garde basilica in Marseille. AP -
Pope Francis at Notre-Dame de la Garde. The basilica’s statue of the Virgin Mary stands as a symbol of protection for all on land or at sea. Reuters -
Pope Francis is greeted by religious leaders at the port city's monument to sailors and migrants lost at sea. Reuters -
French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne (third left) greets Pope Francis upon his arrival at Marseille Airport. EPA -
The Pope with the French Prime Minister at the start of his a two-day visit to Marseille. EPA -
The Pope is officially welcomed at Marseille Airport. EPA -
Pope Francis greets journalists during the flight from Rome to Marseille. Reuters -
The plane carrying Pope Francis takes off. AP -
The Pope's trip included a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron. EPA -
The Pope is helped into a wheelchair before boarding his flight to Marseille. EPA -
The pontiff was attending the conclusion of the Mediterranean Meetings (Rencontres Mediterraneennes), a gathering of bishops and young people from across the Mediterranean. EPA -
Pope Francis, left, arrives in a car at the airport in Rome, for his flight to Marseille. EPA -
The leader of the world's Catholics left Rome to make a two-day visit, marking his 44th Apostolic Journey abroad, to Marseille. AP
Governments in several European countries, including Italy, Hungary, and Poland, are led by outspoken opponents of immigration.
“The solution is not to reject but to ensure, according to the possibilities of each, an ample number of legal and regular entrances,” the pontiff, 86, said in a 35-minute speech that drew a standing ovation from his audience.
“Those who risk their lives at sea do not invade, they look for welcome, for life.”
The Pope said that “as for the emergency, the phenomenon of migration is not so much a short-term urgency, always good for fuelling alarmist propaganda, but a reality of our times”.
Earlier, French President Emmanuel Macron greeted Pope Francis on a wind-swept promenade overlooking Marseille’s old port, and helped him walk into the Palais du Pharo, where he made his speech.
With his wife by his side, the French leader listened as a young Italian volunteer working in Greece and the bishop of Tirana, Albania, who fled to Italy during Albania’s communist rule, spoke of the welcomes they received in foreign countries.
Pope Francis has said his trip is “to Marseille, not France”, and one of his first visits on Friday evening was to the monument to the heroes and victims of the sea.
That had echoes of his first visit as Pope – in 2013 to Lampedusa, where he paid tribute to migrants who had died at sea and condemned “the globalisation of indifference”.
On Friday, referring to the situation of migrants crossing the Mediterranean, he condemned the “cruelty, a terrible lack of humanity”.
He bemoaned the “fanaticism of indifference” that refugees must endure as they seek a better life.
