Pope met Italian Coast Guard

Last night, between 7:00pm and 7:30pm at the Casa Santa Marta, the Holy Father, Pope Francis met with a delegation from the Italian Coast Guard during which he received their witness of service carried out at sea during difficult operations involving migrants and refugees.

The delegation, composed of eight (8) persons, was led by Admiral Commander Felicio Angrisano and by the Chief of Operations, Giovanni Petrorino, who were accompanied by the Minister for Infrastructure and Transportation, Maurizio Lupi.

Those who were present spoke in a touching and impressive manner with the Pope about their concrete experiences and then the Pope assured them of his interest and his appreciation for their service, exercised with courage and dedication in service to the poor.  The Pope recalled his trip to Lampedusa and praised the solidarity of the citizens of that island with refugees even at the expense of decreased tourism on the island; he recalled having invited his almsgiver, Monsignor Krajewski, to assist with the recovery operations following the terrible sinking last year, and concluded with the words: ... I admire you, truly, I tell you, I feel small in the face of the work you are doing, risking your lives, and I thank you with all my heart for this.  But I also want to support you in some way: with prayers and with my words and my affection.