At a meeting with migrants, Pope Francis sharply criticized the blockade of lifeboats at sea.
"It is the injustice that forces many migrants to leave their homes. It is the injustice that forces them to cross deserts and endure abuse and torture in prison camps. It is the injustice that rejects them and them in the sea lets die, "said Francis in the Vatican.
How can one ignore the "cry of despair" of those who risked death in the sea rather than "slowly dying in the Libyan camps, places of torture and slavery". He thanked those who worked for the rescue without asking questions. "The problem is not solved if their ships are blocked at sea," said the pontiff.
The Vatican recently brought 33 refugees from the Greek island of Lesbos to Italy. At the audience in the Vatican, a large cross was hung on the wall with a life jacket.