Pope Francis visits Marseille as anti-migrant views grow in Europe with talk of fences, blockades firstpost.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from firstpost.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Pope Francis is visiting the French port city of Marseille, for centuries a multiethnic and multifaith melting pot, to amplify his call for the Mediterranean to be a place of welcome for migrants. It's an increasingly lonely voice in Europe, where some countries are turning more and more to border fences, repatriations and talk of a naval blockade to keep a new influx of would-be refugees out. Francis is presiding over the closing session of a gathering of Mediterranean Catholic bishops, but his two-day visit that begins Friday is aimed at sending a message well beyond the Catholic faithful to Europe, North Africa and beyond.
Pope Francis has arrived in the French port city of Marseille, where he plans to amplify his call for the Mediterranean region of Europe to be a place of welcome for migrants