Pope Benedict XVI urged Europeans facing an influx of immigrants from
war-torn North Africa to “continue their valued commitment to
solidarity with our brother migrants.”
The Pope welcomed pilgrims from the Mediterranean island of Lampedusa
to St Peter’s Square for his weekly Wednesday audience April 27.
Although a part of Italy, the tiny isle is closer to the coast of
Tunisia and has been the first port of call for those fleeing the
fighting in northern Africa.
“I greet the faithful of Lampedusa,” said the pontiff, “and encourage
them to continue their valued commitment to solidarity with our brother
migrants, who find in their island a host of first asylum, at the same
time I hope that the competent bodies to continue the necessary action
to protect the social interests of every citizen.”
The Pope’s comments come only a day after the leaders of Italy and
France met to discuss the recent rise in North African migration to
Europe.
About 25,000 migrants have arrived in southern Italy so far
during 2011. Many have been fleeing the unrest caused by conflict in
Libya.
Italy has long complained to other European Union countries that it
is left to cope with the influx.
Meanwhile, France worries that
open-border policies within the European Union mean that it has become
the final destination for most of the migrants.
Earlier this month both
countries agreed to join sea and air patrols to try and stop migrants
reaching Europe.
Now both President Nicolas Sarkozy of France and Prime Minister
Silvio Berlusconi of Italy have written to senior officials at the
European Union asking for the institution’s open-borders policy, known
as the Schengen Treaty, to be reformed.
The agreement allows legal
residents of most EU countries, plus Switzerland, Norway and Iceland to
travel across the zone with only minimal border checks.