Pope Francis called for an end to human traffickers in the Mediterranean, while expressing his grief over the disaster that sank a migrant boat last Sunday off the Italian coast of Calabria, killing dozens.
Pope Francis said Sunday (March 5, 2023) in his weekly homily to those gathered in St. Peter’s Square, commenting on the killing of dozens of migrants off the Italian coast of Calabria: “I renew my appeal to prevent these tragedies from happening again. I hope that human traffickers will be stopped.”
“May the journeys of hope never again turn into journeys of death, and may the pure waters of the Mediterranean Sea not be stained again with blood as a result of these tragic events,” the Pope said. “I pray for so many victims in the shipwreck, for their families and for those who survived,” the pope added.
Local authorities in Italy said they have recovered 70 bodies so far after the accident. The migrants came from Turkey and come from countries including Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Somalia and Syria.
About 80 people survived after the boat crashed and sank into the sea near the resort of Steccato di Cotro, located on the eastern coast of Calabria. The authorities estimated that the boat carried up to 200 migrants.
The authorities arrested three suspected human traffickers a few days ago, and prosecutors began investigating the manner in which the emergency services responded to the disaster, after the authorities received accusations from the victims’ families of failing to come to their aid.
Italian Prime Minister Giorga Meloni praised Pope Francis’ comments, saying in a Facebook post that the government “continues to deploy all necessary forces to confront human traffickers and stop death at sea.”
Meloni had called on European Union leaders a few days ago to make more efforts to stop illegal immigration.
Kh.S (Reuters)
