POPE FRANCIS WILL PRAY FOR IMMIGRANTS IN LAMPEDUSA

VATICAN, Holy See, July 1, 2013/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- The Holy See Press Office today communicated that the Holy Father will visit the island of Lampedusa, Sicily, on Monday 8 July. The communique states that the Pope, “profoundly moved by the recent wreck involving a boat transporting migrants from Africa, the latest in a series of similar tragedies, intends to pray for those who have lost their lives at sea, to visit the survivors and refugees, to give encouragement to the island's inhabitants and to appeal to the responsibility of all to care for these brothers and sisters in extreme need. Due to the specific nature of the circumstances, the visit will be carried out as discreetly as possible, also with regard to the presence of bishops from the region and the civil authorities.