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December 6, 2021

Pope Francis Voices Support for Refugees in Trip to Greek Island of Lesbos
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Pope Francis returned to the Greek Island of Lesbos this weekend to
visit a refugee camp and call on the international community to respond
to the ongoing humanitarian crisis of forced displacement, which he
called a "shipwreck of civilization." Pope Francis, who visited Lesbos
in 2016, lamented that "little has changed" since then, as he spoke with
refugees at the Mavrovouni camp, which holds about 2,300 people.

Pope Francis: "It is easy to stir up public opinion by instilling fear
of others. Yet why do we fail to speak with equal vehemence about the
exploitation of the poor, about seldom mentioned but often well-financed
wars, about economic agreements where the people have to pay, about
covert deals to traffic in arms, favouring the proliferation of the arms
trade? The remote causes should be attacked, not the poor people who pay
the consequences and are even used for political propaganda."



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