Pope Francis in Lesbos: island’s only Catholic parish
priest ahead of visit
(Vatican
Radio) Pope Francis’s journey Saturday 16 April to the Greek island of Lesbos is
a show of solidarity for migrants “who are people; they have a history, they
have dreams, they have names.” That’s according to Fr. Leon Kiskinis, the only Catholic
parish priest on the island. He told Vatican Radio's Francesca
Sabatinelli that migrants need “to be treated with dignity, as human beings.”
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.
Since Pope
Francis was elected to the papacy, Fr. Kiskinis says, he has always shown his
closeness to "those on the margins, those deprived of their dignity."
He recalls 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.
Saturday, Pope
Francis will be visiting the Greek island of Lesbos at a time when many
European countries are closing their borders to refugees. It also comes
amid growing criticism of the March 18 EU-Turkey deal, which stipulates anyone
arriving clandestinely on Greek islands on or after March 20 will be returned
to Turkey unless they successfully apply for asylum in Greece.
Lesbos
community did not “close doors or raise barriers”
Fr. Kiskinis
says 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,” he continues. 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 expresses
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.”
Ecumenical
dimension: unity of Churches to respond to migrant crisis
Fr Kiskinis
explains that besides the humanitarian dimension of the papal visit, there is
also the ecumenical aspect, “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 says.
“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.”
Small
Catholic community sees Jesus in the faces of migrants
When he learned
that the Pope was planning to visit the island, Fr. Kiskinis says 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.”
Small
community “on outskirts of Church” feels “pampered” by papal visit
For this reason
too, the priest stresses, the Pope's visit brings no small satisfaction to
“this small community that is just on the outskirts of the Church.”
Pope Francis, he adds, “is very sensitive to this condition. We are in Europe,
we are also close to Italy, but in these islands where the Catholic community
is just a small minority, we feel ‘pampered,’ if I may say so, by the presence
of the Pope. It means showing us his affection, his appreciation for this small
community that strives not only to stay alive, but also to be useful, speaking
as a Christian, to these people who come from the Turkish coast.”
He notes that
up until “three or four years ago” there was no permanent presence of a
Catholic priest on the island but “these faithful were able to get along
virtually alone, without a continuous ministry.” Four years ago, he
notes, the bishop decided to place a permanent parish priest on the island “and
then after four years comes the Pope! So we really feel pampered!"
People feel
less involved since EU-Turkey accord
He says the
islanders’ “fraternal welcoming” of the migrants has not faltered since the
EU-Turkey accord. But there is some perceptible change …. A few months ago, he
explains, people went out to help migrants who were arriving in small
boats. Now, he notes, ships from the EU’s border management agency,
Frontex and the Turkish coast guard go out to meet the boats so “people feel
less involved …in providing assistance. It’s not that they don’t help,
but they help less. But the relationship between the Islanders and migrants has
not changed; the solidarity is still there though it’s less evident compared to
some months ago.”
(Tracey McClure)
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