Vatican City, Dec 19, 2019 / 12:51 pm
Pope Francis Thursday hung a cross encircled by a life jacket inside a Vatican building in memory of migrants and refugees who have lost their lives in the Mediterranean Sea.
He also welcomed Dec. 19 a group of asylum seekers brought to Italy by the head of the papal charities office, Cardinal Konrad Krajewski.
The transparent cross was hung inside an entrance to the apostolic palace reached from the Belvedere Courtyard – where diplomats and heads of state arrive for audiences with the pope.
"In the Christian tradition the cross is a symbol of suffering and sacrifice but also of redemption and salvation," Francis said.