"It is therefore necessary for the church, in order to be truly prophetic, to make a diligent effort to set out on the paths of the forgotten, coming out of herself, soothing with the balm of fraternity and charity the bleeding sores of those who bear the same wounds of Christ imprinted on their own bodies," the pope wrote. "We must change our attitude" and "we are all called to a renewed and profound sense of responsibility, showing solidarity and sharing." "The occurrence of such inhuman disasters must utterly shake our consciences," he wrote. The death of innocents, mainly children, in search of a more serene existence, far from wars and violence, is a painful and deafening cry that cannot leave us indifferent," he wrote. "We are witnessing the repetition of grave tragedies in the Mediterranean, we are shocked by the silent massacres before which we still remain helpless and stunned. In his letter to Archbishop Alessandro Damiano of Agrigento, Sicily, the pope said he wanted to visit the people of Lampedusa "to express my support and paternal closeness to those who, after painful ordeals, at the mercy of the sea, landed on your shores." The Vatican published the letter July 8. Pope Francis mourned the deaths during his 2013 visit with prayers and by tossing a floral wreath into the rippling water. Nearly 26,000 people were recorded dead between 20, and, between 20, about 12,000 people who drowned were never found, according to Statista. (CNS photo/pool)Īt least 2,000 people are believed to have lost their lives in 2022 and again in 2021 while crossing the Mediterranean. The pope threw a wreath to honor the memory of immigrants who have died trying to cross from Africa to reach a new life in Europe. Pope Francis tosses a wreath of flowers into the Mediterranean Sea off the Italian island of Lampedusa in this July 8, 2013, file photo. However, many migrants often make the journey in unsafe vessels or without needed provisions like food, water and floatation devices. Lampedusa, which lies between Sicily and the northern African nations of Tunisia and Libya, has been for decades a major destination point for migrants from Africa, the Middle East and Asia seeking a new life in Europe. "He is a brother who, like me, has been placed on earth to enjoy what exists there and to share it in communion." "The brother who knocks at the door deserves love, hospitality and every care," the pope said in a letter marking the tenth anniversary of his first apostolic journey as pope to the Italian island of Lampedusa July 8, 2013. VATICAN CITY (CNS) - Mourning the "silent massacres" of innocent people who died while crossing the Mediterranean Sea seeking a better life elsewhere, the world must change its attitude toward migrants and those in need, Pope Francis said.
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