Pope Francis met with a delegation representing the Italian Coast Guard on Tuesday evening, thanking them for their service in rescuing refugees and migrants.
Eight members of the Italian Coast Guard, led by Admiral Commander Felicio Angrisano as well as the head of operations, Admiral Giovanni Pettorino, met the Holy Father at his residence in Casa Santa Marta. Also present was the Minister of Infrastructure and Transportation, Maurizio Lupi.
According to a communique by Vatican spokesman, Fr. Federico Lombardi, the delegation informed the Pope on the difficult rescue operations carried out to help save migrants and those fleeing war.
«Those present told the Pope their concrete experiences, both touching and impressive, and at the end the Pope addressed them expressing to them his sympathy and appreciation for their service performed with courage and dedication in favor of the poorest,» the statement read.
«The Pope remembered his visit to Lampedusa and praised the solidarity of the Lampedusian people with refugees even at the cost of damage to its tourism industry.»
Last year, an estimated 3,200 refugees have died making the dangerous trek by boat from Libya. Hundreds have died this year in shipwrecks.
Concluding his statement, Fr. Lombardi stated that the Holy Father told the delegation from the Italian Coast Guards: «I have admiration for you, truly. I say, I feel small in front of the work that you do risking your lives, and I thank you wholeheartedly for this. I will support you as I can: with prayers, good words and affection.»
