“Important signal of goodwill”

The visit of Catholic Church leader Pope Francis to the Italian island of Lampedusa on Monday has been welcomed by Frieder Otto Wolf, President of the Humanist Association of Germany, as an important signal of goodwill. “Time and again, human rights organizations and individual politicians have tried to draw attention to the misery and death of thousands of people at Europe’s borders – but so far largely without results.” On the occasion of his first official trip outside Rome, Francis called for an end to the “globalization of indifference” and criticized the lack of interest in Europe’s response to the suffering and death of the many people who die trying to reach Europe from the African continent. Thousands land on Italy’s shores every year, and human trafficking and smuggling are widespread. It is estimated that 20,000 refugees have lost their lives in the last three decades, either by drowning or dying of thirst. “It is good to address this issue,” emphasized Frieder Otto Wolf. “What is happening here at the European borders is still an outrageous scandal.” Wolf added that it also says a lot about societies when it takes a Catholic pope to turn the abuses into a media headline. At the same time, Frieder Otto Wolf reminded the audience that it was traditionally conservative and church-oriented political forces that defended and exacerbated the abuses mentioned by Francis: By sealing off Europe against border crossings and through a foreign and economic policy that deepens the difficult situation of many societies on the African continent and motivates inhabitants to flee to Europe. “Pope Francis’ statement on Lampedusa is therefore a clear indication of direction. A comprehensive consensus in favor of a humane and responsible approach to the profound problems is overdue.” It is true that the Catholic and other Christian churches themselves bear direct responsibility for social problems in African societies, said Wolf, referring to the church’s positions on contraception and birth control, the consequences of the theological stance on homosexuality and the mixing of Christian and natural religious ideas, which has led to women and children in some regions being confronted with a new “witch hunt” accompanied by violence and death. Nevertheless, humanists could also appreciate this signal of good will from the new Catholic head of the Church, Wolf concluded, because the roots of the deep crises on the African continent go far beyond problems caused by religion. “All people of good will are therefore needed to reduce the ongoing human catastrophes here.”