Will Europe pay attention to Pope’s discussion on migration in Marseille while it tries to control the increasing number of migrants?

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Ten years after Pope Francis made a landmark visit to the Italian island of Lampedusa to show solidarity with migrants, he is joining Catholic bishops from the Mediterranean this weekend in France to make the call more united.

Will anyone in the European corridors of power pay attention as they rush to prevent a new wave of potential refugees departing from Africa?

Francis’ overnight visit Friday to the French port city of Marseille to close out a meeting of Mediterranean bishops was scheduled months ago. But it comes as Europe’s migrant problem is once again making headlines, given the nearly 7,000 migrants who came ashore on Lampedusa within a day last week, briefly outnumbering the resident population.

The situation has caused European capitals to express concern and show support, with some even discussing the possibility of a naval blockade to stop departures. This is a policy that Francis has strongly criticized, as he believes that returning migrants to Libya through an EU-funded operation leads them to end up in what he refers to as contemporary concentration camps.

Francis believes that the distressing images of refugees crowded into a center in Lampedusa emphasize the need for a collective approach to addressing migration. In regards to his upcoming visit to Marseille, he expressed that a prosperous future can only be achieved by prioritizing fraternity, human dignity, and the most vulnerable individuals.

Francis has long made the plight of migrants a priority of his papacy, starting from that remarkable 2013 visit to Lampedusa his first as pope. There, Francis celebrated Mass on an altar made of shipwrecked wood, tossed flowers in the sea in tribute to migrants who had drowned and decried the “globalization of indifference” that the world shows people who risk their lives to flee poverty, conflict and climate disasters to seek a better life.

Afterwards, he has performed additional notable actions to highlight the Gospel’s instruction to embrace unfamiliar individuals. One particularly remarkable instance was when he transported twelve Syrian Muslims on his aircraft after visiting a refugee camp in Lesbos, Greece in 2016. His guiding principle is to welcome, safeguard, advocate for, and incorporate newcomers, recognizing that governments have limitations in their capacity to accept and effectively integrate them.

Cardinal Michael Czerny, the Vatican’s leading migration expert and a refugee himself, stated that the main idea being expressed is that the Mediterranean is our duty. He further explained that it should not be viewed as each country having a small portion of coastline and being solely responsible for it. Instead, there is a shared responsibility that is currently being largely ignored.

In Marseille, one of the most multicultural, multi-religious and multiethnic cities on the shores of the Mediterranean, the pontiff will be joined by around 60 bishops from North Africa, the Middle East, Balkans and southern Europe, along with young people from those regions. It’s the third Mediterranean summit of its kind after the first two were held in Italy.

The location is not accidental. Marseille has long been known for its significant population of migrants coexisting in a culture of acceptance, despite the city’s current reputation for high crime and unemployment rates, poverty, and limited social services.

In contrast to numerous French cities where foreigners typically reside in the outskirts, Marseille has seen migrants and their offspring from diverse backgrounds, including Italians, Spaniards, Armenians, as well as individuals from France’s previous colonies in North Africa, West Africa, and the Comoros Islands, establish themselves in the city center. They have opened various businesses and eateries, adding to Marseille’s reputation as a multicultural hub.

Camille Le Coz, associate director of the Europe office at the Migration Policy Institute in Paris, described Marseilles as a city that truly represents the diversity of France. However, she also acknowledged that Marseilles faces numerous challenges such as limited access to public services, insecurity, and drug trafficking. Overall, it is a complex and intricate city.

During Francis’ visit, a significant event will take place on Friday in Marseille. An interfaith prayer will be held at a monument dedicated to sailors who lost their lives at sea. This particular ceremony aims to pay tribute to the estimated 28,000 migrants who have tragically drowned in the Mediterranean since 2014 while attempting to reach Europe, according to the International Organization of Migration.

The encounter will bring together leaders of Marseille’s various faith groups — Muslims, Jews, Armenian and Orthodox Christians, and Roman Catholics — and will feature testimony of migrants, rescue groups and the pope. The speakers’ list suggests a united voice to call for a culture of tolerance towards migrants, and lament that the Mediterranean has become, in Francis’ words, “the world’s biggest cemetery.”

The question is whether anyone in power will listen. President Emmanuel Macron, whose government has shifted rightward on migration and security issues, will join Francis on Saturday and is slated to attend his big Mass at the Velodrome. The centrist president has taken a firm stance on migration after coming under criticism from conservatives and the far right. He is pushing to strengthen the EU’s external borders and wants the bloc to be more efficient in deporting those refused entry.

Therefore, due to France’s present political atmosphere and its adherence to secularism, commonly known as “laicite,” it is unlikely that either Macron or other European leaders will pay significant attention to Francis’ appeal.

Le Coz stated that due to our complex connection with the church and religion, we do not anticipate this to have a significant influence, to be frank.

Jeffery Crisp, a research fellow at the Refugee Studies Centre of Oxford University, acknowledged that Francis possesses moral authority and has effectively utilized it to address the matter of migration. He specifically emphasizes the importance of governments adhering to international human rights principles.

“I’m not sure if this translates into any form of political influence,” Crisp questioned during a phone interview. “However, it can be argued that without his interventions, the situation could have been even more unfavorable.”

Young men who have recently migrated to Italy are seeking an audience to hear their hopes and aspirations. During a recent day, a group from South Sudan made a stop in Rome while traveling from Lampedusa to the French border. Among them was a notably tall man who expressed his desire to play basketball in France, while another individual expressed his ambition to become a doctor in Britain. They possessed only the clothes they were wearing, and kind volunteers provided them with shoes.

A non-profit organization purchased affordable bus tickets for them after they had spent several nights sleeping beneath a loud highway overpass near Rome’s primary bus station. Later that day, a group of 16 boys departed on a bus headed to Marseille.

They were planning to get off before the French border, where police checks have increased amid Italy’s new migrant influx, and to try to cross on foot. One of them, a 16-year-old named Dot, was wearing new yellow Converse sneakers provided by volunteers.

Dot stated that they had walked from South Sudan and expressed confidence in their ability to walk to France as they boarded the bus.

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Corbet reported from Paris.

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