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With migrants in mind, Pope Francis visits divided Cyprus

Middle East

30-11-2021 | 10:02

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With migrants in mind, Pope Francis visits divided Cyprus

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Pope Francis visits Cyprus this week to lend his support to a conflict-riven island now on the front line of a new migratory route for people fleeing their countries for Europe.

In central Nicosia, nothing tells the story of an influx in arrivals more than the small courtyard area outside the Church of the Holy Cross. Each morning migrants queue for aid and assistance from a Catholic charity.

Aid workers say the situation is overwhelming. Francis, who has made defense of migrants and refugees a cornerstone of his papacy, has arranged to have 50 migrants relocated to Italy after his trip this week.

He plans an ecumenical prayer with migrants at Holy Cross on Dec. 3 after Mass at an outdoor stadium in Nicosia in the morning.

"I am thinking of those who, in recent years, and still today, have been fleeing from war and poverty, landing on the shores of the continent or elsewhere, and finding not hospitality, but hostility and even exploitation," Francis said in a video message ahead of his visit.

"They are our brothers and sisters."

REUTERS

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