VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis greeted refugees who arrived in Europe through the Humanitarian Corridors, an initiative set up in 2016 aiming to prevent dangerous migration situations and to promote integration.

 The initiative, set up by the Community of Sant'Egidio, the Federation of Evangelical Churches, the Waldensian Table, and the Catholic Church in Italy, has three objectives: to avoid dangerous travel with barges in the Mediterranean, to stop exploitation of human trafficking, and to grant those in “vulnerable conditions” a legal entry into Italy with integration assistance.

 Since its beginnings in 2016, the initiative has assisted more than 6,000 people fleeing countries in crisis to find refuge throughout Europe.

 The pontiff said on Saturday that Humanitarian Corridors are “a viable way to avoid the tragedies and dangers of human trafficking,” such as the recent migrant shipwreck in Crotone, which he denounced, that killed at least 87 people. He also said that the Humanitarian Corridors offer “new avenues for action” and that they “build bridges” to assist children, women, men, and the elderly coming from dangerous situations.

 However, he acknowledged that “many efforts are still needed to extend this model” to assist more people and to improve the overall process of seeking refuge. 

 “If this is not helped to be recognized,” he said, “the risk is that fear will extinguish the future and justify the barriers on which human lives are broken.”

 The Humanitarian Corridors allow for growth, according to the pope, and they lead Europe in a positive direction “so that it does not remain stuck, afraid, without a vision of the future.”

 In addition, the pope directly addressed refugees in the audience: 

 "You have shown a firm will to live free from fear and insecurity," he said. "You have found friends and supporters who are a second family to you today. You have studied a new language and met a new society. All of this has been difficult, but it is fruitful." 

 Finally, the pope addressed the war in Ukraine, along with the Ukranian refugees in attendance: 

 “I want to tell [Ukranian refugees] that the pope does not give up on seeking peace, on hoping for peace and on praying for it. I do this for your battered country and for others affected by war."

 The war and migration have both been major parts of the pope's recent agenda. Both issues will be addressed on his trip to Hungary at the end of April to meet with Prime Minister Viktor Orban, which the Vatican announced at the end of February. 

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