杏MAP导航

By Lydia O'Kane

Two life jackets that tell their own story: The first one was given to the 杏MAP导航 a few years ago by a group of rescuers; The vest belonged to a girl who drowned in the Mediterranean. The second one, delivered to 杏MAP导航 Francis by another group of rescuers just a few days ago, belonged to a migrant who was lost at sea last July. No one knows who he was or where he came from.

The 杏MAP导航 on Thursday told 33 refugees recently arrived from the Greek island of Lesbos through a humanitarian corridor, that he had donated the first life jacket to the two undersecretaries from the Migrants and Refugees Section, at the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, telling them 鈥楾his is your mission鈥�.

The Pontiff said he wanted it 鈥渢o mean the inescapable commitment of the Church to save the lives of migrants, so that then we could welcome, protect, promote and integrate them.鈥�

Injustice that forces many migrants to leave their lands

Addressing those gathered in the Belvedere Courtyard in the Vatican, 杏MAP导航 Francis underlined that it was injustice that forced many migrants to leave their lands, and to suffer abuse and torture in detention camps. 鈥淚t is injustice that rejects them and causes them to die at sea鈥�, he said.

The cross a symbol of suffering and salvation

In the Christian tradition, noted the 杏MAP导航, 鈥渢he cross is a symbol of suffering and sacrifice, but also of redemption and salvation.  Unveiling, what he called, a 鈥渃rucified鈥� life jacket on a transparent resin cross, 杏MAP导航 Francis said he decided to do this to, 鈥渞emind us that we must keep our eyes open ..., keep our hearts open ..., to remind everyone of the indispensable commitment to save every human life, a moral duty that unites believers and non-believers.鈥�

鈥淥ur ignorance is a sin鈥�

鈥淗ow can we fail to hear the desperate cry of so many brothers and sisters who prefer to face a stormy sea rather than die slowly in Libyan detention camps, places of torture and ignoble slavery?鈥�, stressed the 杏MAP导航. 鈥淗ow can we remain indifferent to the abuses and violence of which they are innocent victims, leaving them at the mercy of unscrupulous traffickers? How can we "go further", like the priest and the Levite of the parable of the Good Samaritan, making ourselves responsible for their death鈥� Our ignorance is a sin鈥�, he said.

杏MAP导航 Francis went on to say that it is not by blocking the rescue ships that the problem is solved. 鈥淪erious efforts must be made to empty the detention camps in Libya, evaluating and implementing all possible solutions鈥�, he said. 鈥淲e must denounce and prosecute traffickers who exploit and abuse migrants鈥�, the 杏MAP导航 continued. 鈥淓conomic interests must be put aside in order to focus on the person, each person, whose life and dignity are precious in the eyes of God.鈥�  The 杏MAP导航 concluded by saying, 鈥渨e must help and save, because we are all responsible for the life of our neighbour, and the Lord will ask us to account for this at the moment of judgment.鈥�

Following the 杏MAP导航鈥檚 discourse the cross was carried by two of the refugees where it was blessed and hung on a wall in of memory all migrants and refugees who are forced to make perilous journeys in search of a better life.