Condemning society’s habit of ‘emergency politics’, wherein a disaster must happen before a solution can be found, the Community has emphasised the need for initiative on an international scale.

As the 2015 Mediterranean migrant death toll increases to an estimated 1,500, the Community of Sant’Egidio has stressed that it is not enough to take action after tragedies have happened; we need to stop them occurring in the first place. Speaking to the press on Thursday, members of the organisation highlighted links between the Mediterranean migrant crisis and the continuing conflict in the Middle East, noting that 105 of the 133 boats that have arrived in Italy since January came from Libya. The Communty believes that by solving the conflict, the migration problem will also be resolved. Furthermore, members of the Community have stressed the need to give a voice to those Christians in the Middle East, urging the public to remember that Syria in particular has a long history of interreligious, intercultural harmony.

In terms of solutions, President of the Community Marco Impagliazzo has put forward the idea of so-called ‘humanitarian desks’, which would ensure the safety of those fleeing from war or natural disasters, suggesting that this scheme be financed through funds donated to the Protestant Churches under Italy’s ‘eight per thousand’ tax law, as well as through voluntary contributions collected by the Community. He also highlights the fact that such a concept is already accounted for in both the Schengen agreement and the Treaty of Lisbon.

Similarly, founder of the Save Aleppo campaign Andrea Riccardi proposed the creation of ‘safe havens’, where Christians and other minorities could seek refuge from areas in which they would be persecuted.

Whatever the best solution may be, Riccardi emphasises that change is needed so that, for refugees from Africa and the Middle East, coming to Europe is no longer a perilous venture.