“It must be said clearly: there are those who systematically work by all means to push back the emigrants. Rejecting the emigrants! And this, when done conscientiously and responsibly, constitutes a grave sin.” In the midst of an escalation of boat arrivals to Spain and Italy, Pope Francis decided to change his catechism in a public audience this Wednesday to launch an offensive against the “militarization of borders” or “more restrictive laws” against migrants, in addition to the deception of the mafias. “The Lord is with the migrants and not with those who reject them,” he proclaimed.
“It is not through more restrictive laws, it is not through the militarization of borders, it is not through rejections that we will achieve this. On the contrary, we will achieve this by expanding safe and legal access routes for migrants, by facilitating refuge for those fleeing war, violence, persecution and various calamities,” Francis stressed in his speech before thousands of people in St. Peter’s Square.
The Pope focused his reflection on the path that thousands of people travel every day across “seas and deserts” in search of a better future. “Current migratory routes are often marked by crossings of seas and deserts, which for many, too many people, are fatal,” he denounced, recalling that “the Mediterranean has become a cemetery. And the tragedy is that many, most of these dead, could have been saved.” The same thing happens in the deserts, which “become cemeteries for migrants.”
“Often, these are not ‘natural’ deaths either. No. Sometimes they take them to the desert and abandon them there. In the age of satellites and drones, there are migrant men, women and children that no one should see. Only God sees them and hears their cry,” the pontiff lamented.
“In these deadly seas and deserts, today’s migrants should not be,” acknowledged the Pope, who added that “it is not through more restrictive laws, it is not through the militarization of borders, it is not through rejections that we will achieve this.” On the contrary, “we will achieve this by expanding safe and legal access routes for migrants, by facilitating refuge for those fleeing war, violence, persecution and various calamities; we will achieve this by promoting by all means a global governance of migration based on justice, fraternity and solidarity. And by joining forces to combat human trafficking, to stop the criminal traffickers who mercilessly profit from the misery of others,” he concluded.
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