The Pope said it was “an inspiration of the Holy Spirit” to fly some Syrian refugees back to Rome with him – an idea which he said was proposed by one of his aides.
In the end, he said, 12 Syrians – members of three families, including six children – had all the necessary papers from the Greek and Italian governments in time to fly with the Pope. The Vatican will assume financial responsibility for the families, who will be assisted by the Community of Sant’Egidio.
The fact that the 12 are all Muslims did not enter into the equation, the Pope said: “I gave priority to children of God.”
Two Christian families had originally been on the Vatican’s list, too, but their papers were not ready in time, he said.
Spending about half an hour answering reporters’ questions, Pope Francis insisted his visit to Greece with Orthodox leaders was not about criticising an agreement between the European Union and Turkey to return to Turkey those entering EU territory without legal permission.
“What I saw today and what you saw in that refugee camp – it makes you weep,” the Pope told reporters.
“Look what I brought to show you,” the Pope told them. He held up some of the drawings the children in the camp had given him. “Look at this,” he said. “This one saw a child drown.
“Really, today is a day to weep,” he added. Holding up another picture, he pointed to the top and said: “The sun is crying. If the sun is able to cry, we should be able to shed at least one tear” – meaning for the children who will carry the memory of suffering with them.
During a five-hour visit to Greece the Pope and two Orthodox patriarchs spent hours meeting refugees interned in a camp on the island.
The leaders later turned their attention and prayers to the sea, the final burial place of hundreds who died trying to get to Europe. Since January more than 150,000 migrants and refugees arrived in Greece and 366 people died trying to cross the Aegean Sea to Greece, according to the International Organisation for Migration.
“Though many of their graves bear no name, to You each one is known, loved and cherished,” Pope Francis prayed.
“Wake us from the slumber of indifference,” the Pope continued, “open our eyes to their suffering and free us from the insensitivity born of world comfort and self-centredness”.
In his prayer, Pope Francis insisted “we are all migrants, journeying in hope” towards God in heaven. Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople and Archbishop Ieronymos II of Athens and all Greece stood alongside Pope Francis on the waterfront on the bright spring day. They offered prayers for those who had died making the crossing and joined the Pope in blessing laurel wreaths that were tossed into the sea.
Recognising the generosity and sacrifice of the Greek government and Greek people, who had tried to assist hundreds of thousands of refugees despite an ongoing economic crisis, the Pope said: “You are guardians of humanity for you care with tenderness for the body of Christ, who suffers in the least of his brothers and sisters, the hungry and the stranger, whom you have welcomed.”
With hundreds of thousands fleeing violence, poverty and persecution, Pope Francis acknowledged that Europeans could feel overwhelmed. But he called on Europe to live up to its claim of being “the homeland of human rights”, saying: “Whoever sets foot on European soil ought to sense this, and thus become more aware of the duty to respect and defend those rights.”
Austrian Church criticises plan to keep out refugees
Austrian Church leaders have criticised their government for rebuilding border controls, a bid to keep out refugees.
Construction has begun on road barriers and a registration hall at Brenner Pass, the main route to Austria from Italy. It is expected to be completed by late May.
Bishop Benno Elbs of Feldkirch, who heads the Austrian Church’s Caritas agency, said: “We certainly face a significant challenge, but the answer cannot lie in saying goodbye to human rights. Concerns and fears among parts of our population must be taken seriously and met with objective information. But people should fear the polarisation of society, not the refugees.”
The bishop said it was essential that Austrians not stop “extending helping hands”.
A spokesman for Austria’s Ecumenical Council, which includes the Catholic Church, said the barriers risked becoming “a new symbol of division” in Europe. “Refugees aren’t enemies, but needy people seeking safety,” said the spokesman, Erich Leitenberger. “It isn’t acceptable to leave the European Union’s southern member-states … carrying this burden alone. The European project will fail if we don’t cooperate.”
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