Emigrants’ commission calls for European ‘courage and generosity’

The Emigrants' Commission today called on Europe to deal with migration with “more courage and generosity.”

Echoing Pope Francis’ message last week, the commission said “European institutions must be more courageous and generous in its help to refugees and migrants.”

The commission, a voluntary organisation which provides help and protection to asylum seekers and refugees in Malta, highlighted the Pope’s message to mark the first anniversary of the Lampedusa tragedy in which hundreds of migrants died after their boat capsized.

“One year on, the problem of immigration is becoming worse, and tragedies of this type continue to occur with dogged regularity,” the Pope said.

He added that this situation must be faced “not with the logic of indifference but with the logic of hospitality and sharing in order to protect and promote the dignity and centrality of every human being”.

In its statement the commission said that earlier this month, Italian authorities discovered the bodies of 30 dead migrants in a boat carrying 600 asylum seekers.