Pope Francis delivers a strong message against those who ignore the plight of migrants, calling the refusal to help them a ‘grave sin’ and urging global compassion.

In his regular audience at St Peter’s Square, the Pope expressed strong disapproval towards individuals who intentionally use various methods to reject migrants. The Pontiff referred to the Mediterranean Sea as a ‘graveyard’ and mentioned that several of those who perished while attempting to cross could have been rescued.

Throughout his 11-year papacy, the Pope has expressed strong opinions on how migrants are treated and visited Lampedusa, an Italian island where many have landed after undertaking a hazardous journey from North Africa.

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As Italy’s government ramps up its efforts to curb the rescue of migrants in the Mediterranean, he made remarks regarding this topic. Recently, Médecins Sans Frontières’ vessel Geo Barents was seized by authorities which elicited outrage from the humanitarian group who called it a heartless verdict.

Last year, more than 3,000 migrants died or went missing on their journey across the Mediterranean – a statistic identified by the International Organisation for Migration as indicative of this route being the most hazardous.