Appeal to Europe’s Catholics: ‘shelter those fleeing war’
BERLIN: Pope Francis is asking the faithful throughout Europe to shelter refugees fleeing “death from war and hunger”.
Francis said yesterday that the Vatican’s two parishes are taking in two families of refugees. He gave no details as he addressed tens of thousands of people in St Peter’s Square.
Francis said it’s not enough to say, “Have courage, hang in there”, to the hundreds of thousands of refugees who are on the march toward what he called “life’s hope”.
He called on every Catholic parish, convent, monastery and sanctuary in Europe to shelter a family, and asked bishops throughout Europe to urge their dioceses to do the same.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says his country is not indifferent to the plight of migrants and refugees flooding Europe, but that Israel is too vulnerable to absorb them.
Netanyahu bemoaned the “human tragedy” of the victims of Syria’s civil war and said Israel has aided them in various ways. But he added that Israel is too small a country, both geographically and demographically, to provide a haven for a large influx of refugees.
Israel runs a field hospital on its border with Syria and has taken in wounded Syrians, but has stopped short of opening the borders to its longtime enemy.
Israel’s opposition leader, Isaac Herzog, says the country should take in a limited number of Syrian asylum seekers amid the current refugee crisis in Europe.
Authorities in Cyprus say they have rescued 114 people believed to be refugees fleeing war-torn Syria after their fishing boat issued a distress call about 74km off the island nation’s southern coast.
Cyprus police said yesterday that all 114 people, including Palestinians from Syria, are in good health. They include 19 women, 30 children, 5 infants and 60 men.
A merchant vessel notified Cyprus’ Search and Rescue Centre late on Saturday that the refugees’ 18-metre fishing boat was in trouble.
The refugees were transferred to the southern port of Larnaca for health and identity checks.
Police said three men, including a 28-year-old believed to be the boat’s captain, have been arrested and are being questioned.
French mayors are offering to house refugees amid increasing concern for Syrians and others fleeing war and seeking haven in Europe.
French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said several dozen mayors have offered to help in recent days, and convened a national meeting to organise refugee housing.
France is trying to speed up the process for seeking asylum and to better welcome refugees, as the numbers coming to Europe this year have soared. – Reuters