VATICAN CITY, Aug 28 (Reuters) – Pope Francis on Wednesday strongly decried the treatment of migrants crossing the Mediterranean Sea to enter Europe, saying it was a “grave sin” not to offer aid to migrant vessels.
“There are those who work systematically and with every means to reject migrants,” the pontiff said during his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square.
“And this, when done with conscience and responsibility, is a grave sin,” he said.
The pope has spoken frequently about the treatment of migrants over his 11-year papacy. But his words on Wednesday, invoking Catholic terminology for one of the worst kinds of sin, were especially strong.