Beatrice Guarrera, Fr. Łukasz Bankowski – Vatican
Although several days have passed since the Pope’s visit to Lampedusa, for hundreds of migrants the island still remains the first point of contact with Europe. Aid organizations appeal not to turn a blind eye to their situation and to ensure conditions for arrivals that correspond to human dignity.
Dignity begins with the first encounter
The focus is on the pier named after Pope Francis, which is the place where migrants arrive after a dangerous journey across the Mediterranean Sea. As volunteers emphasize, despite minor works carried out, there is still no electricity grid there, and the toilets have long been out of order.
“We would like it to be a place where people are welcomed humanely and can meet their basic needs with dignity,” says Valentina Sorti from the Mediterranean Hope program, run by the Federation of Evangelical Churches in Italy.
For months, the Lampedusa Solidale Forum has been unsuccessfully searching for an institution to take responsibility for maintaining this place. Meanwhile, the worker responsible for cleanliness often uses his own funds to repair the lighting and provide water for those just disembarking.
Migrants continue to arrive
The organizations’ appeal coincides with further boat arrivals on the island. In just one day, the Italian Coast Guard and Frontex rescued two groups of migrants. Among the 38 people who reached Lampedusa was also a disabled Tunisian citizen, transported to a reception center after receiving medical assistance.
For volunteers, this is a reminder that the migration crisis does not cease, even if it stops being front-page news.
“We are all human”
The Focolare Movement has also been involved in helping migrants for years. Carla Locatelli, a member of the Lampedusa Solidale Forum, emphasizes that the first gestures towards arrivals are often very simple. “Sometimes a smile, a greeting, or offering a pair of flip-flops is enough, because migrants disembark barefoot,” she says.
She adds, however, that kindness cannot replace adequate infrastructure. In summer, with high temperatures, functional toilets, access to water, and places to rest, even for a moment, are particularly needed.
“Lampedusa is the migrants’ first encounter with Europe. We should welcome them, remembering that we are all human,” she emphasizes.
Close to those who arrive
A three-person community of the Focolare Movement serves on the island together with local organizations. One woman works as a doctor, another is involved in the parish Caritas, and Carla Locatelli accompanies young people and helps with receiving migrants at the pier.
Volunteers remind us that people arriving in Lampedusa do not cease to exist when public interest wanes. Therefore, they appeal for concern for dignified reception conditions to become a lasting commitment, and not just a reaction to extraordinary events, such as the Pope’s visit.
