Pope Francis has decried indifference in the face of migrants who die crossing deserts and seas in search of a better life and called for a global system of governance based on justice and solidarity.

The Pope's plea came when the plight of people on the move seeking asylum was highlighted as DW reported that in Germany, Protestant and Catholic churches, as well as Jewish communities have offered asylum to refugees for decades.

At the same time, German authorities have increasingly been intervening

Francis spoke at his Wednesday General Audience on Aug 28, drawing attention to the plight faced by migrants who brave daunting odds in search of a place where they can live in peace and security, Vatican News reported.

"Sea and desert" were the two words the Pope highlighted, saying they recur often in the words of migrants and those who seek to help them.

With these words, he sought to include all the physical barriers and dangers that migrants must cross along their journey.

The pontiff noted that he has spoken often about the Mediterranean Sea, because he is the Bishop of Rome and because it serves as a symbol

"Mare nostrum," he said, using a Latin phrase used by the ancient Romans to describe the Mediterranean, "a place of communication between peoples and civilizations, has become a cemetery."

The Pope noted that most of these deaths could have been prevented, decrying the people "who systematically work, using all means, to push back migrants."

"And when this is done consciously and responsibly, it is a grave sin," said the man who heads the Roman Catholic Church.

"Let us not forget what the Bible says: 'You shall not wrong or oppress a foreigner'."

Pope Francis said the sea and the desert are full of symbolism in the Bible, since they "witness the drama of people fleeing from oppression and slavery."

"They are places of suffering, fear, and despair, but at the same time, they are places of passage toward liberation, redemption, and the fulfillment of God's promises," he said.

God Himself shares the drama endured by migrants, said the Pope.

"He is there with them; He suffers with them; He weeps and hopes with them."

Francis said everyone can agree that "migrants should not be in those deadly seas and deserts."

Yet, reaching this goal cannot be done through stricter laws or border militarization, he said.

"We will achieve it by expanding safe and regular pathways for migrants, facilitating refuge for those fleeing wars, violence, persecution, and various disasters," he said.

'GLOBAL GOVERNANCE OF MIGRATION'

"We will achieve it by promoting in every way, a global governance of migration, based on justice, fraternity, and solidarity."

Pope Francis praised the work of "so many good Samaritans who dedicate themselves to helping and saving injured and abandoned migrants along these routes of desperate hope on all five continents."

He especially mentioned the work of Mediterranea Saving Humans, an Italian civil society organization that seeks to rescue migrants crossing the Mediterranean Sea.

"These courageous men and women are a sign of a humanity that does not allow itself to be infected by the harmful throwaway culture of indifference," he said.

Even if we cannot be on the frontlines, he concluded, each of us can contribute in their own way to this "fight for civilization" with our prayer."

An example of imposition of the law was shown by DW in German, where church asylum is not governed by law, but is generally tolerated

It cited Pastor Tobias Heyden who said he will never forget the sight of police vehicles blocking his rectory on the evening of May 12, 2024.

Around 10 armed police officers surrounded his parish hall in Bienenbüttel, a tranquil community of 7,000 in Lower Saxony.

Police arrested a family from Russia who was hiding there — a couple with an adult son and a 16-year-old daughter — and flew them from the Cologne/Bonn airport to Barcelona that same night.

That was the first time in decades that the state of Lower Saxony deployed the police to end a church asylum. "I am in a state of shock," Heyden told DW.

The asylum-seekers, in this case, were a Russian family who had been granted a Schengen tourist visa by Spain.

They were visiting relatives in Germany when a Russian conscription order for the father and son arrived.

The family did not want the men to participate in Russia's war against Ukraine, so they applied for asylum in Germany.

Yet according to European law, Spain, not Germany, was responsible for the family, as it was their point of entry to the EU.

According to EU law, refugees must apply for asylum in the EU country where they first register. So, Germany deported them to Spain.

"We are still in touch through their relatives. And we know the family is not doing well," said Heyden. The mother is severely traumatized, he explained, explaining that she had received medical treatment in Germany.