POPE FRANCIS
I'm sorry that the time will be so short because the plane is expected to land at 8:15 and we have to take picture with the crew. As a result, at 8:05 we will have to finish. Thank you for your cooperation.
My health is a bit unpredictable because I have this knee problem that causes me to have a problem with walking. It is a bit annoying, but it's getting better. At least I can go places. Two weeks ago, I could not do anything, you know? But it's something that takes time - let's see if it does come back. But I doubt it. At this age, you don't know how the game will end. Let's hope it gets better.
On Malta, I was happy with the visit. I witnessed the reality that the Maltese people have an impressive enthusiasm. Whether it was Gozo, Malta, Valetta, or anywhere else, there was great enthusiasm on the streets. I was amazed.
It was a little short. One of the problems I saw is migration. The problem of migrants is serious because Greece, Cyprus, Malta, Italy, and Spain are the closest countries to Africa, the Middle East, so they all come here. And migrants should always be welcomed.
The problem is that each government has to say how many they can take to live there. For this to happen, it takes an agreement between the European countries as not all are willing to receive migrants. We forget that Europe was made of migrants. But that's how things are. But at least it would not leave the burden to the neighboring countries that have been so generous. Malta is one of them.
So I have been to the migrant reception center and the things I have heard there are terrible. The suffering that these people went through to get here. And then the camps that are on the Libyan coast when they went back. It seems criminal. And because of that, I think the issue is one that touches everyone's heart. Just as Europe is acting so generously with the Ukrainians who are knocking on the door, so also they do for others who come to the Mediterranean.
I ended the trip with this point that really touched me. The testimonies I heard of suffering are more or less the ones that I recounted in the little book that came out. “Hermanito” in Spanish. “Fratellino” – “Little Brother.” That is the way of the cross for these people. One migrant that spoke today had to pay four times. I ask you to think about this. Thank you.
