Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Wednesday, Oct 01, 2025

Pope Francis blasts nationalist divisions in EU over migration during Greece visit

Pope Francis blasts nationalist divisions in EU over migration during Greece visit

Visit comes as more than 2,000 people are stuck at the Belarus-Poland border amid a migration crisis between the EU and Minsk

Pope Francis on Saturday blamed nationalist divisions in the European Union for a lack of coordination on migration, as thousands of people remain stranded on the Belarus-Poland border in freezing temperatures.

The pope, who is also hoping to improve complicated relations with Greece's Orthodox Church while on a landmark trip to Greece, said that Europe was "torn by nationalist egoism" on migration.

The European community "continues to temporise" and "appears at times blocked and uncoordinated" instead of being an "engine of solidarity" on the issue, the pope said.

Francis made the remarks during a meeting with EU Vice-President Margaritis Schinas, Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou and Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, among other officials.

The pope has long championed refugees, and on Sunday will return to the island of Lesbos, which he last visited in 2016 during the early years of the migration crisis.

Hungary threat


The issue of migration has been high in the headlines in recent weeks.

More than 2,000 people, including Iraqis, Syrians, Afghans, and Iranians, have been stuck on the Belarus-Poland border in freezing temperatures for weeks. At least 10 people have died there since August.

The crisis is, in part, the result of several months of deteriorating relations between Minsk and the EU.

Last month, Viktor Orban, Hungary's nationalist prime minister, said it was a reasonable demand by Budapest that the EU should pay back at least a part of the money spent on border protection since 2015.

The prime minister said he was ready to open a corridor for migrants to go to western Europe if the EU failed to help Hungary.

Meanwhile, France told the UK on Thursday that it needed to take responsibility for solving the crisis of thousands of refugees seeking to reach England from France in small boats.

The call came a week after 27 people died when their small boat sank in the Channel.

'Slavery' in camps


Flying in after a two-day trip to Cyprus, the pope landed shortly after 11am local time (09:00 GMT) in the Greek capital, where security was heightened over expected protests by Orthodox hardliners among whom anti-papal sentiment is strong.

During his visit to Cyprus, Francis condemned "slavery" and "torture" in migrant camps, drawing parallels with World War Two.

The Cyprus government said on Friday that 50 migrants, including two Cameroonians stuck for months in the divided island's buffer zone, will be relocated to Italy thanks to Francis.

In a meeting with asylum seekers, Francis cited conditions in Libya and elsewhere and said he had a responsibility to tell the truth about the suffering of refugees.

Last month, a number of human rights groups filed a dossier of evidence to the International Criminal Court arguing that EU policies have trapped migrants and refugees in Libya and "significantly contribute" to the situation that migrants face.

The report found that thousands of migrants and refugees in Libya are victims of a "continuous cycle of abuse that is both widespread and systematic".

Illegal pushbacks


On Sunday the pope will again visit Greece's Lesbos, a flashpoint of the 2015 refugee crisis and thereafter, "as a pilgrim to the wellsprings of humanity" to call for the integration of refugees.

The island's sprawling Moria migrant camp burnt down last year and has been replaced by a new EU-funded facility.

The new Mavrovouni camp is part of a series of "closed" facilities on Greek islands, with barbed wire fencing, surveillance cameras, X-ray scanners and magnetic gates that are closed at night.

NGOs and aid groups have raised concerns about the new camps, arguing that people's movements should not be restricted.

Thirty-six groups active in Greece this week sent a letter to the pope, drawing his attention to the rights of people in the camps and asking for his help in halting illegal pushbacks of migrants allegedly carried out by Greek border forces.

The pontiff is expected to visit the camp and will meet two "randomly chosen" families, an official said.

On Wednesday, nearly 30 asylum seekers landed near the camp. On Friday, two migrants died when a speedboat overturned near the Greek island of Kos.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
UK, Canada, and Australia Officially Recognise Palestine in Historic Shift
Dubai Property Boom Shows Strain as Flippers Get Buyer’s Remorse
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
UAE-US Stargate Project Poised to Make Abu Dhabi a Global AI Powerhouse
Saudi Arabia cracks down on music ‘lounges’ after conservative backlash
Saudi Arabia Signs ‘Strategic Mutual Defence’ Pact with Pakistan, Marking First Arab State to Gain Indirect Access to Nuclear Strike Capabilities in the Region
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
Kuwait opens bidding for construction of three cities to ease housing crunch.
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Iran Faces Escalating Water Crisis as Protests Spread
More Than Half a Million Evacuated as Typhoon Kajiki Heads for Vietnam
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Trump Backs Putin’s Land-for-Peace Proposal Amid Kyiv’s Rejection
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
United States Sells Luxury Yacht Amadea, Valued at Approximately $325 Million, in First Sale of a Seized Russian Yacht Since the Invasion of Ukraine
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
×