Pope Francis Calls for Help for Migrants in Visit to Lesbos

Pope Francis addressed the plight of migrants and asylum seekers during a visit to a temporary refugee camp on the Greek island of Lesbos. The pope called the plight of the migrants a “shipwreck of civilization.” The pope was finishing up a five-day visit to Greece and Cyprus, during which he planned to highlight the issue of refugees and migration.

He noted that he had visited a refugee camp on the island five years ago, that asylum seekers burned down last year and that: “After all this time we see that little has changed with regard to the issue of migration.”

The pope criticized European nations for turning away migrants and discussed the tragic ends for so many migrants taking risks to search for a better life, highlighting that “the Mediterranean Sea, cradle of so many civilizations, now looks like a mirror of death.”

“It is easy to influence public opinion by instilling fear of the other,” he added.

“It is an illusion to think it is enough to keep ourselves safe, to defend ourselves from those in greater need who knock at our door,” Francis said, adding, “Let me repeat: History teaches this lesson, yet we have not learned it.”