ATHENS

The Mediterranean has become a “cemetery” for migrants, Pope Francis said on Wednesday.

Drawing attention to the hardships experienced by migrants in their voyage “for somewhere they can live in peace and security,” Pontiff said: “The Mediterranean, a place of communication between peoples and civilizations, has become a cemetery,” according to the Vatican News agency.

Asserting that most of the migrant deaths could have been prevented, he decried people “who systematically work, using all means, to push back migrants.”

“And when this is done consciously and responsibly, it is a grave sin,” the pope added.

Reiterating that migrants should not be dying in the seas or deserts, Francis argued that introducing stricter anti-migrant laws or militarizing the borders is not the way to avoid this tragic state of affairs.

“We will achieve it by expanding safe and regular pathways for migrants, facilitating refuge for those fleeing wars, violence, persecution, and various disasters. We will achieve it by promoting in every way a global governance of migration based on justice, fraternity, and solidarity,” he said.

Francis also praised the endeavors of the organizations who are trying to help migrants and refugees in the Mediterranean and elsewhere in the world.