Pope Francis strongly condemned the treatment of migrants crossing the Mediterranean Sea to enter Europe, reports "Reuters", quoted by News.bg.
He warned that it was a "grave sin" not to offer assistance to migrant ships.
"There are people who systematically and by all means work to reject migrants," the Pope said during his weekly general audience in St. Peter" Square.
"And this, when done out of conscience and responsibility, is a grave sin,", he emphasized.
Francis has often spoken about the treatment of migrants during his 11-year papacy. However, his words today were particularly powerful as they invoked Catholic terminology for one of the worst kinds of sin.
Migrants crossing the Mediterranean in homemade boats from North Africa and the Middle East have been the subject of heated debate across Europe for the past decade.
The International Organization for Migration estimates that more than 30,000 migrants crossing the Mediterranean have disappeared since 2014.
On Monday, Italy issued a 60-day detention order for a rescue ship operated by the charity Doctors Without Borders. The authorities specified that the ship, which conducted several rescue operations on August 23, did not correctly communicate its route.
"Doctors Without Borders" denied these claims. "We were only sanctioned for fulfilling our legal duty to save lives,", the organization emphasized.
Pope Francis called for the expansion of access routes for migrants, as well as for a "global migration management based on justice, fraternity and solidarity". According to him, the problem will not be solved by "militarization of the borders".
Today's audience of 87-year-old Pope Francis precedes an ambitious visit to four countries in Southeast Asia from September 2 to 13. It is the longest trip ever for the pope, who currently regularly uses a wheelchair due to knee and back pain.