In a speech before representatives of the authorities and the accredited diplomatic body, on the first day of the two-day apostolic visit to this country, the Pope recalled that according to Phoenician etymology, Malta means safe harbor.

However, in the face of the growing influx in recent years, fears and insecurities have generated discouragement and frustration, Pope Francis said, indicating that in order to properly address the complex migration issue it is necessary to place it in broader perspectives of time and space.

In this regard, he expressed that the migratory phenomenon is not a circumstance of the moment, but a sign of this epoch, which carries with it the debts for past injustices, for so much exploitation, climate changes and eventual conflicts for which the consequences are paid.

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