Pope Francis denounced this Sunday the “shipwreck of civilization” who abandons the migrants, after arriving this Sunday at the refugee camp on the Greek island of Lesbos, where he was warmly received by numerous families.
The second day of the pontiff’s trip to Greece is marked by a visit to the Mavrovouni camp, which continues to house some 2,200 asylum seekers in difficult conditions.
In this enclosure, Francisco urged during an emotional speech to tackle the “shipwreck of civilization”, five years after his first visit to this Greek island in the middle of the migratory crisis.
“The Mediterranean is turning into a cold graveyard without gravestones. I beg you, let’s stop this shipwreck of civilization! “, Said the Supreme Pontiff before the migrants.
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Upon his arrival in Lesbos, the pope had been welcomed by several refugees that congregated between the containers and the tents of the field.
The Argentine pontiff greeted at length and blessed the families present, including many children.
“Humans, not prisoners”
His compatriot Orphée Madouda, who will attend the Angelus, welcomes: “it is the first time that I am going to see the Pope”, at the same time he stated, “we refugees are human beings, and we must treat ourselves as such and not as a prisoners “.
In 2016, the island of Lesbos became the main gateway for thousands of migrants trying to reach Europe. “We are all migrants“Francisco had said when he visited the Moria camp in April 2016.
Some refugees now hope to return with him to Rome, as he did in 2016. And in that year, he returned with 12 Syrian refugees. On this occasion, 50 migrants will be transferred from Cyprus, where they were on Thursday and Friday.
