full screen Pope Francis visits Marseille. Photo: Pavel Golovkin/AP/TT
Pope Francis says European governments have an obligation to rescue asylum seekers fleeing across the sea.
– People who risk drowning when left on the waves must be rescued, he says.
During a visit to Marseille, located on the French Mediterranean, he also warns of a “paralysis of fear”.
The Pope was earlier welcomed by French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin, who previously declared that none of the thousands of migrants who arrived on the Italian island of Lampedusa will be accepted by the country.
In the past week, almost 7,000 people came to Lampedusa in the space of 24 hours.