Scottish Catholic Observer

Pope Francis is leading Church demands for Europe to take action to save the thousands of refugees who are drowning trying to cross the Mediterranean each year.

Archbishop Philip Tartaglia of Glasgow said the UK Government had a duty to ‘rescue and re-home these unfortunate people who are relying on our help’ after a boat carrying upwards of 900 migrants capsized in the Mediterranean last weekend, killing most of its passengers. It has been estimated that 1600 people have already drowned making the crossing so far this year.

Speaking in St Peter’s Square on Sunday, the Pope made a ‘heartfelt appeal’ for more to be done to help the migrants, many of whom are fleeing poverty and conflict in Africa and the Middle East.

“They are men and women like us, our brothers seeking a better life, starving, persecuted, wounded, exploited, victims of war,” the Holy Father said. “They were looking for a better life. I make a heartfelt appeal to the international community to react decisively and quickly to see to it that such tragedies are not repeated.”

The Tunisian captain of the boat that capsized off Libya overnight from Saturday into Sunday, killing hundreds of migrants, has been charged with reckless multiple homicide. He has also been charged along with a Syrian member of the crew with favouring illegal immigration. The two were among just 27 survivors of the disaster at sea.

The Italian navy had set up a search and rescue mission called Mare Nostrum in 2013 but it was abandoned in November last year after some EU members said they could not afford it. The British Government said it did not support it as rescuing drowning migrants could have ‘an unintended pull factor.’

Archbishop Tartaglia of Glasgow appealed for politicians to see the refugees’ recent deaths as ‘a real human tragedy.’

The archbishop said he believed ‘it is surely time now for a more coordinated effort from the countries of the EU including Britain to rescue and re-home these unfortunate people who are relying on our help.’

Federica Mogherini, the EU’s head of foreign policy, announced a new plan on Monday to prevent such deaths. Full details were still to be agreed as the SCO went to press.

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—This story ran in full in the April 24 edition print of the SCO, available in parishes.