Pope Francis has arrived in Lesvos, where he was greeted by Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, the Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew, and the Archbishop of Athens Ieronymos. They are set for what is being called an “historic” visit, since it is the first that the two Church leaders are making together.
In a short meeting after the Pope’s arrival, Tsipras said, “I am proud, especially after some of our partners, of Christian Europe, were raising walls and closing borders,” when referring to Greece’s handling of the refugee crisis.
Pope Francis thanked the Greek people for their stance in dealing with the ongoing refugee crisis. Greek media have reported that Pope Francis will be taking ten people back with him from the Kara Tepe refugee welcome centre. The ten will be made up of two families, who were at the centre before the EU-Turkey refugee deal was struck.
The two religious leaders visit a camp for more than 3,000 people who are awaiting either processing of asylum claims or deportation to Turkey. Lesvos has been a key entry point into Europe for migrants in the past year. Thousands are now stuck on the island after last month’s deal between Europe and Turkey to try to ease the flow. Pope Francis and Patriarch Bartholomew also visit the Moria refugee centre.
Humanitarian and religious visit
The Vatican insists the Pope’s visit is purely humanitarian and religious in nature and should not be seen as a criticism of the deportations.
However, the Vatican official in charge of migrants, Cardinal Antonio Maria Veglio, has said the EU-Turkey plan treats migrants as merchandise and fails to recognise their dignity as human beings.
Pope Francis visited the Italian island of Lampedusa in 2013 to show similar support for migrants after dozens died trying to reach it.
First visit of a Roman Catholic head to Greece after 15 years
Pope Francis 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. Francis The island of Lesvos in the northern Aegean is ready to receive the head of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Francis and the security measures are draconian.
Greek PM Alexis Tsipras, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and the head of the Greek Orthodox Church Hieronymus will receive him at the Mytilene airport, where his plane is expected to land 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.
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras will hold a brief meeting with the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and Pope Francis in Lesvos on Saturday, as part of their joint visit to the island with Archbishop of Athens and All Greece, Ieronymos, it was announced on Friday.
Joint declaration
The three Church leaders will sign a joint declaration during their visit to Moria’s registration centre, after meeting, talking and eating lunch with refugees. They will then hold a prayer service at the island’s port for those who perished trying to cross into Europe. The full schedule is as follows:
– 09.30 Arrival of Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras at Lesvos where he will have a meeting the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew
– 10.20 Arrival of Pope Francis at the international airport in Mytilene on the island of Lesvos. Welcoming ceremony.
– 10.35 Private meeting with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras in the airport
– 10.55 Travel by minibus with Patriarch Bartholomew and Archbishop Ieronymos to the Moria refugee camp
– 11.15 Visit with the refugees
– 12.25 Brief speeches by Archbishop Ieronymos, Patriarch Bartholomew and Pope Francis
– 12.40 Signing of a joint declaration
– 12.45 The archbishop, patriarch and pope have lunch with some of the refugees
– 13.45 Meeting with citizens of Lesvos, the Catholic community of Greece, followed by a prayer service for migrants who have died trying to reach Europe. Speech by pope. Prayers by archbishop, patriarch and pope. Minute of silence.
– 14.30 Private meetings at the Mytilene airport with Archbishop Ieronymos, Patriarch Bartholomew and Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras
– 15.00 Farewell ceremony
– 15.15 Pope Francis’s departure from Mytilene airport
Ecumenical Patriarch hopes Church leaders’ visit will improve lives of refugees
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew expressed his wish on Friday that his short visit to the island of Lesvos, together with Pope Francis and the Archbishop of Athens and All Greece Ieronymos, and their conversation with the refugees will have a positive impact and practical results for those people who have been uprooted from their homes and lands.
Speaking shortly after landing to the airport of Mytilene, the Ecumenical Patriarch said he’s honoured and happy to visit the island which is so close to his birthplace, the island of Gökçeada, adding that his emotions are more intense this time because he came “for a holy purpose, to meet, together with His Holiness the Pope and His Beatitude, brother Archbishop of Athens and All Greece, our afflicted brothers, the refugees.”
“It was our duty towards them and we hope our short visit and our communication with them will have an effect, an impact and practical results for those who have been uprooted violently from their homes, their lands, and suffer until they reach their final destination, wherever that may be,” he added.
Archbishop of Athens and All Greece Ieronymos: Our aim is to make the problem international
Archbishop of Athens and All Greece Ieronymos who arrived on Friday in Mytilene was the first of the three hierarchs that will visit Lesvos on Friday and Saturday in an attempt to support the refugees.
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew (Vartholomeos) arrived on the island late on Friday followed by Pope Francis’ arrival on Saturday morning.
Upon his arrival to Lesvos, Ieronymos wished this initiative to be fruitful. “Our aim is to make the problem international. To point out that it is not only a problem of the Greeks or the Europeans, but of the humankind.”
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