Lesbos: Catholic parish priest welcomes visit of Pope Francis

Image: JRS

Fr Leon Kiskinis, the only Catholic parish priest on the island of Lesbos, has spoken about the visit of Pope Francis tomorrow. The presence of the Holy Father will be a show of solidarity for the migrants - "who are people; they have a history, they have dreams, they have names," he said.

He told Vatican Radio's Francesca Sabatinelli that migrants need "to be treated with dignity, as human beings."

Fr Kiskinis said that since Pope Francis was elected, he has always shown his closeness to "those on the margins, those deprived of their dignity."

He recalled that the Pope's first journey at the start of his pontificate was to the Italian island of Lampedusa in solidarity with the tens of thousands of refugees arriving on its shores.

Pope Francis will be visiting the Greek island of Lesbos at a time when many European countries are closing their borders to refugees. His visit also comes amid growing criticism of the March 18 EU-Turkey deal, in which refugees will be sent back to Turkey unless they successfully apply for asylum in Greece.

Fr Kiskinis said he thinks the Pope's choice to visit Lesbos was not by chance. "Lesbos is an island of call for these people who come from the Turkish coast; I do not think that this decision is random. Because, despite the presence of the authorities, institutions, non-governmental organizations, the local people, simple people, have shown a brotherhood, a humanity never seen before in these parts."

The citizens of Lesbos "did not close the door, did not close their hearts, did not create borders or barriers. Rather, they welcomed these people in the hope that they can receive warmth and welcome in Europe, this Europe that it is the home of human rights."

He expressed his conviction that migrants making the risky journey to Lesbos from Turkey are looking for a better future for themselves and their families and should "experience this European hospitality of human rights."

Besides the humanitarian dimension of the papal visit, there is also the ecumenical one. "I believe that to solve this...migration crisis we should not work alone - we must collaborate; we must work together." And that means not just European governments "but also the churches: the Catholic Church, the Orthodox Church, the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Orthodox Church of Greece" should "collaborate and give witness to unity in the migration crisis."

"We are here as Christians, without distinction of race, culture, language, religion, to give a little relief to these people, and also to raise awareness in the European community, among governments, that they need to work together...not separately, each on his own," Fr Kiskinis said.

"It's not by constructing borders and barriers that one can stop these people escaping from war; they have no alternative but to get to Europe hoping for a better future. In this sense, the Pope's visit has a great Christian ecumenical dimension."

When he learned that the Pope was planning to visit the island, Fr Kiskinis said he "was really surprised; I really didn't believe it because I'm a parish priest, and I was not ready for a possible visit by the Pope. It's true that the local Catholic Church is a small community, and perhaps that's also why I am the only pastor on the island. There is only one Catholic church on this island, but it's a community of very committed believers in welcoming these people, because our faith is not abstract, it's real. We think we see Jesus, who was hungry, naked, a stranger, in the faces of these people. Regardless of where they come from, we try to see Christ, giving them a glass of water or a shirt to cover themselves. We want to believe that we are doing it for Jesus himself."

The International Migration Organization estimates that since the beginning of this year, more than 170,000 migrants and refugees have made the treacherous journey by sea to Greece and Italy.

Source: IMO/Vatican Radio