VATICAN CORNER
On April 16, 2016 Pope Francis made a lighting trip to the Greek island of Lesbos, spending 6 hours there to draw international attention to the plight of those fleeing across the Mediterranean Sea to escape conflict and persecution in their home countries. Many of the people are coming from Syria, but they are also coming from Iraqi and Afghanistan. Lesbos has borne the brunt of the refugee influx into Europe with more than 85% of the 1.1 million people coming through that island last year. This was Pope Francis’ 13th journey outside Italy, but as he told journalists on the short plane trip from Rome, this visit was different. It was a visit marked by sadness for the suffering of so many people caught up in the worst humanitarian crisis since World War II. Alongside Pope Francis were Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew (the spiritual leader of the world’s 300 million Orthodox Christians) and Orthodox Archbishop Hieronymus of Athens. The three religious leaders were able to see and hear firsthand the suffering of the women who had lost their husbands to war, the men weeping and pleading for help for the security of their families, and the children’s depictions on paper of the perilous boat journeys they went through. The three walked around a camp, held hands, listened to stories, gave blessings and promised to do whatever they can. They held a service to bless those who had died trying to reach Europe. Last month the European Union and Turkey agreed to seal off the sea route used by migrants trying to reach wealthy Western Europe after the Balkan states shut their borders to these migrants. So the agreement stranded thousands in Greece and transformed this camp and the others into detention centers where people now anxiously wait to learn whether they will be sent back to Turkey, or allowed to join family and friends in other European countries. Speaking after these visibly moving encounters, Pope Francis said we all know how easy it is “to ignore other people’s suffering and even to exploit their vulnerability”. But he also praised the solidarity of the Greek people who’ve responded generously to the crisis amid their own economic difficulties. Lesbos alone is currently home to almost 90.000 refugees, more than its original population before the crisis began. He urged world leaders to “heed these scenes of tragic and indeed desperate need and respond in a way worthy of our common humanity.” His words were echoed by those of the Patriarch and Archbishop who said the world will be judged by the way it treats these refugees. The three religious leaders are hoping that political leaders across Europe would look beyond their short term interests and find lasting solutions to guarantee safety and dignity to so many suffering families. Pope Francis wanted to make a gesture himself so through discussions with Greek and Italian authorities, it was arranged to take three Syrian families and their six children back with him on the plane to Italy. The Vatican will be taking care of the costs involved in housing and taking care of the refugees.
Sources: News.va, theguardian.com, Reuters.com