Pope Francis' request for a solution to the problem of migrants in Europe

  The leader of the Roman Catholic Church called for dealing with the situation of immigrants in Europe. Pope Francis, in a speech on Sunday, called the deaths of migrants in the Mediterranean an "open wound" and said that European political authorities must overcome the problems and "heal this wound," according to the AAA news agency. Pope Francis also noted that since the beginning of 2023, about 2,000 men, women and children have died at sea trying to reach the shores of the European continent. More than 22,000 migrants have drowned on their way to Europe since 2014, according to statistics released by the International Organization for Migration.

The countries of North Africa, including Tunisia and Libya, due to their proximity to Europe, have become transit points for the exit of illegal immigrants who are trying to reach Europe, fleeing poverty and war in their countries. The English Channel and several other regions of the world have also witnessed the deaths of several thousand migrants since 2014. The deadliest route of illegal immigration to Europe was the waters of the central Mediterranean from Libya and Tunisia to Malta or Italy, where migrants tried to cross the sea in very rickety boats.