SW News: The Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin called for the regularization of migratory movements so that it is safe and tragedies such as the one in Cutro, southern Italy, do not happen again. He was meeting journalists on the sidelines of the inauguration of the "Chair of Welcome" in Sacrofano, near Rome, Italy. The top Vatican official was referring to the Cutro shipwreck that cost the lives of 71 people, including 16 children on February 26.

The Secretary of State said for the Holy See "the principle that always applies is that it is first and foremost a question of saving people, of not allowing human lives to be lost" as happened recently off the coast of southern Italy. He, however, did not address the new regulations that Italy had requested from NGOs involved in the rescue of migrants at sea.

After the Sunday Angelus, the Holy Father also expressed his sorrow for the tragedy that took place in the waters of Cutro, near Crotone. He said he is praying for the numerous victims of the shipwreck, for their relatives, and for those who survived. He manifested his appreciation and his gratitude to the local population and institutions for their solidarity and hospitality.

He renewed his appeal to everyone so that similar tragedies may not be repeated. “Let the human traffickers be stopped so they do not continue to dispose of the lives of so many innocent people! May the journeys of hope never more be transformed into journeys of death. May the clear waters of the Mediterranean never be bloodied by such tragic accidents! May the Lord give us the strength to understand and to weep,” the Holy Father said.

On Sunday, 5,000 people attended the Stations of the Cross at Cutro. Archbishop Angelo Raffaele Panzetta and Mustafa Achik, the imam of the Cutro Mosque, walked side by side while praying for the souls of the victims, the majority of whom were of the Islamic faith, under the shade of the cross' wooden arms.