As thousands of Syrian refugees continue to pour into Europe, Pope Francis has called on parishes in the region to take in two refugee families each, and announced that Vatican will do the same.
Speaking to gathered masses in St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City, the pontiff said, "Faced with the tragedy of tens of thousands of refugees who are fleeing death by war and by hunger, and who are on a path toward a hope for life, the Gospel calls us to be neighbors to the smallest and most abandoned, to give them concrete hope."
He added, "May every parish, every religious community, every monastery, every sanctuary in Europe host a family, starting with my diocese of Rome."
Not enough to wish refugees well. There's a duty to shelter them. Pope Francis. http://t.co/eI2mvARfBY pic.twitter.com/kaLJDk3303— Kenneth Roth (@KenRoth) September 6, 2015
#Pope: "Not enough to say “have courage, hang in there” to #refugees on march toward “life’s hope.”— Jon Williams (@WilliamsJon) September 6, 2015
It's not the first time Pope Francis has weighed in on the subject of refugees. During a visit to France last fall, he addressed the issue, saying the tens of thousands of refugees coming ashore each year in Europe need acceptance and assistance, not self-interested policies that risk lives and fuel social conflict.
"We cannot allow the Mediterranean to become a vast cemetery," he said at the time.
#PopeFrancis: "A #Europe which is no longer open to the transcendent dimension of life is a Europe which risks slowly losing its own soul"— EP PressService (@EuroParlPress) November 25, 2014
Pope Francis will be making his first trip to the United States later in September, a visit that will include an appearance before the U.S. Congress.
Additional reporting by the Associated Press