“They are our brothers and sisters”

In Cyprus, migrants represent 4% of the population, much more than in Greece or anywhere else. For the Cypriot authorities, Europe must realize that the island cannot accommodate all these refugees. Pope Francis, who begins his 35th trip abroad in Cyprus on Thursday 2 December, intends to discuss this migration issue and the fate of refugees. “I think of those who in recent years and still today flee war and poverty, land on the coast and do not find hospitality but hostility and even exploitation. They are our brothers and sisters, pleads the Holy Father. How many have lost their lives at sea! Today our sea, the Mediterranean, is a great cemetery! “

The Cypriot authorities do not expressly accuse Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of organizing this migratory offensive to the nearest European country, but the island being separated between the Turkish-occupied North and the South, some are much clearer , like Father Giorgios Houry. Cypriot, he now lives in Italy but was the secretary of the Maronite bishop of Cyprus for fifteen years. “The migrant problem in Cyprus comes from the Turkish part of the island in the north which is occupied by 40,000 Turkish soldiers, explains Father Giorgios Houry. The migrants arrive mainly from Syria on this part of the island and the soldiers let them cross the line of separation with the South. And since we’re on an island, they can’t get out! “

Expected on the island from December 2 to 4, Pope Francis is to participate in an ecumenical prayer with migrants. According to the spokesperson for the Cypriot government, the Pope intends to bring several dozen refugees from Cyprus to Rome, Italy. The Cypriot authorities have prepared all the papers.