Pope Francis condemns efforts to repel migrants, calls it a 'grave sin': Video
Pope Francis strongly condemned efforts to repel migrants and block their routes, describing such actions as a "grave sin" during his weekly audience on August 28.
The 87-year-old pontiff, who has consistently advocated for compassion towards those fleeing conflict, poverty, and persecution, expressed deep concern for migrants who have lost their lives, including those "abandoned" in deserts, the AFP reports.
In his address, Pope Francis criticised "restrictive laws" and the "militarisation of borders," urging instead for the establishment of safe migration routes. "There are those who work systematically and with every means possible to repel migrants. And this, when done with awareness and responsibility, is a grave sin," he declared.
The Pope reiterated that the Mediterranean Sea, where over 3,000 migrants went missing last year according to UN figures, has tragically become a "cemetery." He also highlighted that deserts, often seen as natural death traps, are sometimes places where migrants are intentionally abandoned. "In the time of satellites and drones, there are migrant men, women, and children that no one must see. Only God sees them and hears their cry," he lamented.
While not pointing fingers at any specific country, Pope Francis emphasised that his concerns extend to all terrains where migrants suffer in isolation, including oceans, lakes, rivers, forests, jungles, and steppes. "We can all agree on one thing: migrants should not be in those seas and in those lethal deserts," he urged. "But it is not through more restrictive laws, it is not with the militarisation of borders, it is not with rejection that we will obtain this result."
