Lesbos, Greece, Apr 17, 2016 / 16:13 pm
Forced migration affects millions of people and is "a crisis of humanity." That is what Pope Francis and two leading Greek Orthodox churchmen have said in a joint declaration signed on the Greek island of Lesbos.
"Europe today faces one of its most serious humanitarian crises since the end of the Second World War," the declaration said.
Pope Francis, the Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, and Orthodox Archbishop Ieronymos II of Athens and All Greece signed the declaration April 16. They traveled to the Greek island to meet some of the thousands of refugees and migrants trying to enter Europe.
"We urge the international community to make the protection of human lives a priority and, at every level, to support inclusive policies which extend to all religious communities," they said.