Although there is no political agenda behind the Pope's visit to the immigration processing centre on the remote Italian island of Lampedusa, the Pope's decision to make his first excursion outside of the City of Rome is nonetheless an important reminder that there are countless less visible refugees and asylum-seekers no longer being covered by the news. Refusing to allow any politicians tag along, the Pope will go to the tiny island, the one of the closest European Union territories to northern Africa, to weep for those who lost their lives in the dangerous sea-crossing, to greet new arrivals and show gratitude to the local population that have done much to help the immigrants with their passage, treating their guests with dignity, considerations that were not always continued by the migration authorities here and elsewhere. Since the height of the revolutions that punctuated the Arabic Spring, the pace has slowed somewhat, but given recent events, is expected to increase soon.
Sunday 7 July 2013
ellis island
Although there is no political agenda behind the Pope's visit to the immigration processing centre on the remote Italian island of Lampedusa, the Pope's decision to make his first excursion outside of the City of Rome is nonetheless an important reminder that there are countless less visible refugees and asylum-seekers no longer being covered by the news. Refusing to allow any politicians tag along, the Pope will go to the tiny island, the one of the closest European Union territories to northern Africa, to weep for those who lost their lives in the dangerous sea-crossing, to greet new arrivals and show gratitude to the local population that have done much to help the immigrants with their passage, treating their guests with dignity, considerations that were not always continued by the migration authorities here and elsewhere. Since the height of the revolutions that punctuated the Arabic Spring, the pace has slowed somewhat, but given recent events, is expected to increase soon.
