Pope Francis Urges Action to Address Migrant Crisis

Pope Francis called on European leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, to open their ports to migrants and provide legal pathways to citizenship, emphasizing that migration is a long-term reality that must be dealt with humanely. He criticized the use of "alarmist propaganda" to justify closing doors to migrants and urged for the Mediterranean Sea to be a beacon of hope rather than a graveyard of desperation. The pope's visit to Marseille comes as Italy's far-right government threatens to organize a naval blockade of Tunisia and increase repatriations. Macron and Francis held a private meeting, discussing migration issues and a range of other topics.