Pope Francis believes that the fate of migrants recalls dark episodes in history, such as those of the Nazis or the Stalin dictatorship.
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Strong words. Pope Francis denounced, Friday, December 3 in Nicosia (Cyprus), the treatment of certain migrants plagued by“slavery” and the “torture”, believing that their fate recalls dark episodes in history such as those of the Nazis or the Stalin dictatorship. He was speaking during an ecumenical prayer with migrants at a church in Nicosia on the second day of his visit to the divided island of Cyprus, the gateway to the European Union for many migrants.
The pope, who put the migration issue at the heart of his visit, must take with him to Italy 50 migrants, including 10 irregular migrants detained, according to Nicosia. Dozens of people, the majority of them foreigners, thronged in front of the Church of the Holy Cross in Nicosia, located a few meters from the buffer zone administered by the UN, in the hope perhaps of being able to be on the journey.
“Your presence, migrant brothers and sisters, is very significant for this celebration”, said the 84-year-old pope in the church. God is calling us “not to resign ourselves to a divided world (…) but to walk through history attracted by the dream of God: a humanity without walls of separation, freed from enmity”, he added. He once again accused Turkey of“instrumentalizing migration in Cyprus”, calling them “European partners” to show “solidarity” with Nicosia face “to the difficulties linked to the growing flow of migrants”.
Pope Francis called for “open the eyes” in front of’“slavery” and the “torture” experienced by migrants in the camps, drawing a parallel with World War II. “It reminds us of the history of the last century, of the Nazis, of Stalin, and one wonders how it could have happened. But what once happened is happening today on the neighboring coasts ( …) There are places of torture, people who are sold. I say this because it is my responsibility to open my eyes “said the Pope in a long improvisation during ecumenical prayer with migrants.