Yesterday, Pope Francis began a two-day visit to Marseille with a more political than religious background, as this occurs in the midst of the migratory crisis, after the arrival last week of thousands of illegal immigrants to the Italian island of Lampedusa and when Europe is debating what do with them. Having just landed, the Supreme Pontiff, who has always been very sensitive to this drama, sent a clear message: “Immigrants who are at risk of drowning must be helped,” he said in the presence of representatives of other religions and after a brief prayer. in the Basilica of Notre-Dame de la Garde for the migrants who died at sea.
In the last week, some 10,000 illegal immigrants have arrived in Lampedusa from North Africa and so far this year more than 120,000 people have reached Italy, the gateway to Europe. Pope Francis’ first trip was precisely to this island and he regretted that it had become “a cemetery.” What has happened these days “is cruelty and a terrible lack of humanity,” he had warned AFP journalists on the papal plane.
While Italy, overwhelmed, asks Europeans for solidarity when it comes to welcoming illegal immigrants, Germany has suspended reception due to “migratory pressure” and France has also been clear about this: It will not accept them on its territory. Francis was forceful and asked for “humanity” from Europeans: “We must solve the problems that the sea presents to us, for the European Union and for everyone it is important to be able to survive. We have to face this problem in a united way. Together we compose a mosaic of bridges,” he said.
The Supreme Pontiff was received at the airport by the Prime Minister, Elisabeth Borne, and presided over a prayer in the Basilica of Notre-Dame de la Garde, where he urged to be “men and women of compassion.” Already outside the temple, he said: “In the face of such a great drama there are no words, but there must be deeds and actions, we need humanity.”
He continued: “We cannot resign ourselves to seeing human beings treated as bargaining chips, imprisoned and tortured in atrocious ways. We can no longer witness the tragedies of shipwrecks caused by atrocious trafficking and the fanaticism of indifference,” he said. So far this year, some 1,300 people have died or disappeared at sea trying to reach Europe, according to the International Organization for Migration.
Marseille is the last stage of the Mediterranean meetings in which he participates and the framework of his two-day visit: a series of meetings between bishops and faithful from various countries. Francis agreed to go to the city at the request of Archbishop Jean-Marc Aveline, but he always made it clear that it was not a state trip: “I will go to Marseille, not to France.” It is the country’s second city, a multicultural enclave where populations of different origins and religions coexist: It is “a model of integration, with different realities. Marseille has to be a mosaic of hope for Europe,” said the Pope.
This Saturday he meets at the Pahro Palace with the French president, Emmanuel Macron, just when the French Government is about to present its immigration law, highly criticized by the extreme right, which considers it lax, and by the left, which looks restrictive. Macron moves between two waters: on the one hand, he wants to facilitate integration for all those who have work and live stably in the country; On the other hand, he wants firmness when controlling the flows.
The Supreme Pontiff will celebrate a mass this Saturday to which some 57,000 faithful are expected to attend. Macron’s participation in it has been controversial, since France is a secular country and the opposition believes that his presence interferes with secularism, with that neutrality of public powers with regard to religion, which is one of the pillars of the Republic. The Elysée has highlighted that his presence is as head of state, not as a Catholic.
France, a secular Republic, has received a king and the Pope in just three days. The British monarchs, Charles III and Camilla, closed their visit to France yesterday in Bordeaux. The papal event in Marseille represents an enormous challenge in terms of security, since the Supreme Pontiff and Macron coincide. 5,000 agents have been mobilized, an unprecedented device for a city that already suffers from insecurity problems linked to drug trafficking in its so-called quartiers nord, the northern neighborhoods.
