Vatican City
Reuters
Pope Francis appealed to countries on Thursday to manage waves of migrants as best they can and to expand channels for their safe and regular movement, as the United States grapples with a surge of new arrivals at its southern border.
Pope Francis and Pope Tawadros II, the 118th Pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark Cathedral, meet in The Redemptoris Mater Chapel at the Vatican, on 11th May, 2023. PICTURE: Vatican Media/Handout via Reuters
POPE FRANCIS RECOGNISES 21 COPTS BEHEADED BY ISLAMIC STATE AS MARTYRS
Pope Francis on Thursday announced that 21 Coptic Orthodox Christians beheaded by Islamic State in Libya in 2015 are being recognised as martyrs by the Vatican.
He revealed the move during a meeting with Pope Tawadros II of the Coptic Orthodox Church and said he was doing so with Tawadros’ consent.
The 21 Copts, 20 Egyptians and a Ghanaian, were lined up on 15th February, 2015 in orange jumpsuits on a beach in the Libyan city of Sirte, which Islamic State then controlled. The Islamist group posted a video of the killings, showing the men praying as they died.
Francis told Tawadros that the inscription of the men in what is known as the Roman Martyrology, or calendar of saints, was “a sign of the spiritual communion that unites our two Churches”.
Their ‘feast’ day – which celebrates their memory – is expected to be 15th February.
Tawadros, 70, is at the Vatican to mark the 50th anniversary of the first meeting between a Roman pope and a Coptic pope, which took place between their respective predecessors, Paul VI and Shenouda III, in 1973.
Copts comprise about 10 per cent of Egypt’s mostly Muslim population and there are small Coptic Christian communities throughout the Middle East and Africa. They have long been attacked by Islamist militants who see them as heretics.
– PHILIP PULLELLA, Vatican City/Reuters
Francis made his comments in his message for the Roman Catholic Church’s annual World Day of Migrants and Refugees, whose title this year is “Free to Choose Whether to Migrate or to Stay”.
He called for a “shared commitment” to manage migration, with politicians in countries of origin implementing “transparent, honest and farsighted” policies and rich countries shunning any form of “economic colonialism” that exploits the natural resources of poorer countries.
“Persecutions, wars, atmospheric phenomena and dire poverty are among the most visible causes of forced migrations today. Migrants flee because of poverty, fear or desperation,” Francis said, calling on countries to work together to eliminate the causes.
Francis, who has made defence of migrants and refugees a major part of his 10-year-old pontificate, said the aim of international cooperation should be to establish the right not to be forced to emigrate. He did not mention any countries.
“Even as we work to ensure that in every case migration is the fruit of a free decision, we are called to show maximum respect for the dignity of each migrant; this entails accompanying and managing waves of migration as best we can, constructing bridges and not walls, expanding channels for a safe and regular migration,” he wrote.
Migrants have been massing in Mexico near various parts of the border with the United States – many of them unsure about when, or how, to cross. Drone footage showed large crowds gathering at the border fence by El Paso, Texas, across from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.
Thousands are crossing before a new regulation takes effect that could bar most who cross illegally from seeking asylum in the United States.
Meanwhile, diplomatic sources said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is expected to meet Pope Francis in the Vatican on Saturday, days after the Pope said the Holy See was involved in a peace mission to try to end the war between Russia and Ukraine.
The planned trip has not been officially announced. Pope Francis has given no further information about the peace initiative.
There was no immediate comment from the Kyiv government on reports of the possible trip. Zelenskiy’s office never releases details of his travel plans ahead of time for security reasons.
An Italian political source confirmed that Zelenskiy might be in Rome at the weekend and said if that was the case, he would also see Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who is a staunch defender of Ukraine, which Russia invaded in February 2022.
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News of the planned visit was first reported by Italy’s Ansa news agency. It said Zelenskiy was also expected to travel to Germany this weekend.
Since the invasion, the Pope has pleaded for peace practically on a weekly basis, and has repeatedly expressed a wish to act as a broker between Kyiv and Moscow. His offer has so far failed to produce any breakthrough
Ukraine Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal met the Pope last month and said he had discussed a “peace formula” put forward by Zelenskiy. He said he had also invited the pontiff to visit Kyiv.
Pope Francis, 86, has said previously that he wants to visit both Kyiv and Moscow on a peace mission.
Tens of thousands have been killed, millions uprooted and whole cities have been flattened during the war in Ukraine.
– Additional reporting by ANGELO AMANTE in Rome, Italy, and TOM BALMFORTH in Kyiv, Ukraine
