Pope Ends Greece Visit Focused On The Plight Of Migrants

Pope Francis thanked Greece for its "gracious hospitality" as he left Monday following a landmark three-day visit marked by calls for better treatment of migrants in Europe

Athens, Dec 6 (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 6th Dec, 2021 ) :Pope Francis thanked Greece for its "gracious hospitality" as he left Monday following a landmark three-day visit marked by calls for better treatment of migrants in Europe.

Before setting off, the pope met young people in a Catholic school on the outskirts of Athens, urging openness.

"When the temptation to close in on ourselves comes, look for others," he said.

He also held brief talks Monday with the head of parliament, Konstantinos Tassoulas, and with the leader of the main opposition party, Alexis Tsipras, who thanked him for "his unwavering defence of human rights and social justice".

During his whirlwind visit, Francis met with the head of the Greek Orthodox Church and visited the Mavrovouni tent camp on Lesbos, where he called the neglect of migrants the "shipwreck of civilisation".

Following his visit to the migration flashpoint, he celebrated mass for some 2,000 faithful in Athens, where he urged respect for the "small and lowly".

In 2016, Francis visited the sprawling Moria camp on Lesbos, when the island was the main gateway for migrants heading to Europe.

He was warmly welcomed by a crowd of migrants at the camp, which houses nearly 2,200 asylum seekers.

People later gathered in a tent to sing songs and psalms to the pontiff, who listened to them, visibly moved.

"I am trying to help you," Francis told one group through his interpreter.

The Mavrovouni camp was hurriedly erected after Moria, then the largest such site in Europe, burned down last year.