Pope Francis Says Rejection To Help Migrants Is A Heavy Sin

JAKARTA - World Catholic Church leader Pope Francis on Wednesday strongly criticized the treatment of migrants crossing the Mediterranean Ocean to enter Europe, saying not offering aid to migrant ships was a serious sin.

"There are people who work systematically and at all costs to refuse migrants," the Pope said at a weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square.

"And if this is done with conscience and responsibility, it is a serious sin," he continued.

Pope Francis is known to have frequently talked about the treatment of migrants during his 11 years of papality. However, his words on Wednesday, which uses Catholic terminology for one of the worst types of sin, are very strong.

At the start of Wednesday's remarks, the Pope said he postponed the series of events this week, to consider "people crossing oceans and deserts to find a place where they can live peacefully and safely".

Migrants crossing the Mediterranean Sea in simple boats or self-made rubber boats from North Africa and the Middle East have been the subject of heated debate across Europe over the past decade.

The International Organization for Migration estimates that more than 30,000 migrants crossing the Middle Sea have been missing since 2014.

In Italy, a rescue ship operated by the charity Doctors Without Borders was given a 60-day detention order on Monday.

Authorities said the ship, which carried out several rescue operations on August 23, failed to communicate its movements properly. Doctors Without Borders denied the claims.

"We have been sanctioned just for fulfilling our legal duties to save lives," the organization said in a statement.

The Pope on Wednesday also called for the expansion of access routes for migrants and "global migration governance based on justice, brotherhood, and solidarity." The Pope said the matter would not be resolved through "border militarization".

In recent weeks, the Pope himself has conveyed a series of reflections on Catholic spiritual issues in his weekly audience.