A stream of unaccompanied minors, over a hundred, disembarked from the private rescue ship Humanity 1 on Sunday (November 6) in the Sicilian city of Catania, southern Italy.

They were followed by women and men too weak to stand up on their own after the journey across the Mediterranean. Following medical exams they were taken in buses to migrant reception centers.

Inspectors from the Italian maritime health department then got on board the vessel to examine the conditions of those who had been ordered to remain on the ship.

The same scene was repeated a few hours later in the same port for the survivors rescued by the Geo Barents ship, from which three pregnant women descended as well as about 50 unaccompanied minors and entire families.

Stories of hope and pain

Among the migrants rescued at sea was a couple who had begun their journey in Togo, alongside their 11-month-old infant girl who was born with a cleft lip and finds it difficult to swallow. Her parents worked in Libya to save money to treat their daughter while at the same time trying to get a visa to Europe. Their visa requests were denied and thus the only way to get treatment for their daughter, they said, was to flee to Europe.

Among those still waiting to disembark on Sunday was a young man determined to get to Germany to see his mother, diagnosed with terminal cancer. He wants to see her one last time and there was no way for him to get a visa. Thus, he took a boat towards Europe and was rescued at sea.

One of those on board knows the sea well by now, after having been intercepted by the Libyan coast guard and forcibly returned four times. The young man told activists that, "maybe this time will work out better."

Pope says 'Italy can't do anything without Europe'

Pope Francis reiterated on Sunday that it is necessary to "save lives", but that it is Europe that must not leave Italy to deal with the situation alone.

On migrants, the pope said about the EU that "lives must be saved -- the Mediterranean is a cemetery, perhaps it is the largest cemetery" in the world.

However, he added, "Italy, this government, can't do anything without the agreement of Europe. The responsibility is European."

"Every government of the European Union must agree on how many migrants it can take in," he said, and "the European Union must take the reins of a policy of collaboration and help. It cannot leave Cyprus, Greece, Italy, and Spain with the responsibility of all migrants arriving on their beaches."

To the question of the new line take by the Italian government, he stressed that the "government policy, up until now, has been to save lives", and that "I believe that this government has the same policy", as it would not be "human" to do otherwise.