(UPD)-12:55
The three religious leaders co-signed a joint declaration on the refugee crisis lauding the response by the Greek people in the face of the crisis. Pope Francis in his speech told the refugees they were not alone. ‘You have endured much suffering and made great sacrifices for your families’, said the Pope. ‘I came here to hear your stories with my brothers Hieronymus and Bartholomew. We want to join our voices with yours (refugees) and call the attention of the world of the his grave humanitarian crisis’, he said. He went on to stress that when ‘any of our brothers or sisters suffer we all suffer’. The Pope lauded the Greek people for their generosity in responding to the crisis, despite their economic hardships. ‘God never leaves us alone in our suffering. Do not lose hope’, he told the refugees.
Bartholomew said their presence on Lesvos was to look into the refugees eyes who were seeking a better life. He added that the crisis was not limitd to borders but was a global issue. ‘The Mediterranean Sea should be a path of communication’, said Bartholomew. He underlined the dire state of Christians in the Middle East.
On his part, Hieronymus called for more action on the part of the United Nations to address the refugee crisis and the war in Syria. He told the crowd the three religious leaders joined their voices to raise awareness on the tragedy of the refuge crisis, while he pointed out the bankruptcy of the world when looking into the eyes of the young children.
Pope Francis has touched down on the island of Lesvos, in the Aegean Sea a little after 10 in the morning on Saturday. It the first visit of a Roman Catholic head to Greece after 15 years. His visit is to show the solidarity and support to the suffering refugees and migrants crossing the Aegean to enter Europe. The Pope said he was ‘proud of the Greek people for their stance on the refugee crisis’, during his brief encounter with Greek PM Alexis Tsipras. He posted a message on his twitter account saying ‘refugees are not numbers’. In welcoming the Pope, PM Tsipras said his visit was a good opportunity to demonstrate the solidarity shown by the Greek people and the need to stop the war and create a secure passage for the refugees, while he accused European nations for erecting walls against refugees ‘in the name of Christianity’. The island of Lesvos is in lockdown with security measures being draconian. Greek PM Alexis Tsipras, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and the head of the Greek Orthodox Church Hieronymus received him at the Mytilene airport, where his plane landed after 10am Saturday, April 16. Local authorities have cleaned all the streets and wall graffiti, while security forces removed a group of Pakistani migrants from central streets. The local shop owners on the island decided to close their stores at 12.30 to allow people to watch the arrival of the Pope. More tents were handed out to the refugees and migrants at the Moria hotspot, where the Pope is expected to visit. His visit is scheduled to last about 4 hours and will be covered by nearly 400 reporters from around the world, with 53 of them travelling on his plane. Greek PM Alexis Tsipras arrived on Lesvos its after 10 in the morning an met with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and Greek Orthodox leader Hieronymus. According to the schedule, the three religious leaders and the Greek PM will make brief speeches at 12.45am and 10 minutes later will sign a joint protocol while later will have lunch with 300 refugees. A little after 1.20 pm all fours will depart for the port of Mytilene, where the religious leaders will perform a prayer for the lost refugees and migrants in the Aegean Sea. The visit is scheduled to end at 3pm when an address by Pope Francis.
