A sailboat sponsored by the Migrantes Foundation, for the Catholic church, worked alongside the ship Mare Jonio of the NGO Mediterranea Saving Humans to document how the rescue at sea of migrants takes place. At the end of the mission, the organizers said that the objective was to have a better understanding of what happens in the Mediterranean.
The mission of a sailing yacht, promoted by the Catholic Church in Fano-Fossombrone-Cadi-Pergola (in the region of Marche), which flanked the NGO Mediterranea Saving Humans' ship Mare Jonio for three days, has ended.
The sailboat departed from Trapani, Sicily, on August 24 to document ongoing migrant rescue operations at sea. This trip, organized by the Migrantes Foundation of the Italian Episcopal Conference (CEI), aimed to assess and document the effectiveness of these rescue efforts.
According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), from January 1 to August 17, over 1,000 people died or went missing in the Central Mediterranean, while nearly 14,000 were intercepted at sea and returned to Libya, which the UN has declared “not safe."
Also read: Italy: Migrantes chief speaks out against sea rescue decree
Pope Francis’ appeal: 'Bring together openness with stability'
The Migrantes initiative was in response to the appeals of Pope Francis who, during the 50th Social Week of Italian Catholics, recalled that "the challenge for the ecclesial and civil communities is to bring together openness with stability, hospitality with identity."
The initiative, as written in a note by the Migrantes Foundation, "is an opportunity to reaffirm the proximity of the Church to those who are fleeing wars, violence, and hunger, and to thank the Italian Coast Guard and all authorities engaged in sea rescue operations for their professionalism, competence, and humanity. During the first six months of 2024 they saved over 15,000 lives."
Pope Francis wanted to personally encourage the mission of the ship Mare Jonio, and those who, in coordination with Italian authorities and in accordance with the law, work to save migrants' lives.
Also read: Pope Francis, migration and the issue of ethics
'Understanding what happens in the Mare Nostrum'
"The purpose of this trip was to learn and understand better what happens in the Mare Nostrum (the Latin name for the Mediterranean Sea), to increase awareness and knowledge with complete documentation, and an authentic witness account."
"Conversely to what was reported by some media, it was not a ship belonging to the Italian Episcopal Conference (CEI), but rather the support of the Migrantes Foundation to an initiative of the local church of Fano, in the Marche region, to increase improved information on the migration phenomenon, without prejudices or division," states Monsignor Gian Carlo Perego, Archbishop of Ferrara-Comacchio, and President of of the Migrantes Foundation.
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