Stop human traffickers, says Pope Francis
Published: 05:03 PM,Mar 05,2023 | EDITED : 09:03 PM,Mar 05,2023
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Pope Francis on Sunday called on authorities to stop human traffickers operating in the Mediterranean, as he expressed his sorrow over last week’s migrant boat disaster off Italy’s Calabrian coast, in which dozens of people were killed.
“I renew my appeal to prevent such tragedies from happening again. May traffickers of human beings be stopped,” the pope said in his weekly address to crowds in St Peter’s Square. Local authorities said 70 bodies had so far been recovered following the incident. The migrants had departed from Turkey and were from countries including Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Somalia and Syria.
“I renew my appeal to prevent such tragedies from happening again. May traffickers of human beings be stopped,” the pope said in his weekly address to crowds in St Peter’s Square. Local authorities said 70 bodies had so far been recovered following the incident. The migrants had departed from Turkey and were from countries including Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Somalia and Syria.