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December 6,2021

Andrew Campbell 

The main event of Pope Francis' eastern Mediterranean visit to raise awareness about the situation of migrants and refugees began on December 4 when he arrived in Greece. After two days in Cyprus, where he focused on the world's displaced people, he arrived in Athens to be met by Greek teenagers dressed in traditional garb, an African boy, and a girl from the Philippines. Pope Francis has made humanizing migrants and refugees a priority during his pontificate. On his second day in Greece, Pope Francis met with refugees from the Mavrovouni tent camp on the island of Lesbos and said Mass with the Catholic community of Athens on December 5.

Around 40 asylum-seekers, mostly from Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, participated in an Angelus prayer with Pope Francis in a camp tent at the Mavrovouni camp in the presence of Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou, EU Vice-President Margaritis Schinas, and Greek Migration Minister Notis Mitarachi.

During his visit to Athens, Pope Francis compared the destinies of migrants to a horrible modern Odyssey, and the indifference of migrants to a civilization's shipwreck. During his papacy, Pope Francis has made it a point to humanize migrants and refugees.

At the same time, Pope Francis decried European and global decline, warning that nationalist egoism was pulling Europe apart. The Pope, who is 84 years old, is sprung from an Italian family who settled in Argentina. Pope Francis previously assisted in the deportation of 50 migrants to Italy when in Cyprus.