Pope praises web-based news for migrants initiative

Pope Francis is full of praise for an online web portal initiative, InfoMigrants.net. which is specifically aimed at providing news and information targeted at migrants.

“I am close with affection and encouragement to those institutions, associations and individuals who open up wisely to the migratory phenomenon with interventions of support, bearing witness to the human and Christian values that are the base of European civilization,” Pope Francis said.

InfoMigrants.net. is the brainchild of Italian news agency ANSA. It is working in partnership with two other European media outlets, France Media Monde and Deutsche Welle.

The portal was launched in March. Its goal is to offer news and useful information for the growing number of migrants coming to Europe. The site is available in English, French, and Arabic. It also offers stories and articles told from the perspective of migrants.

In its introduction the site offers to combat misinformation, noting the majority of migrants lack reliable news sources and must rely on the misguided information given to them by traffickers and smugglers.

In a letter to Luigi Contu, ANSA’s Editor-in-Chief, Francis said he hoped this “important initiative” would encourage the society as a whole to welcome refugees and migrants while promoting their integration.

Francis told Contu he hopes the portal “will improve the integration of these people with the necessary respect for the laws of the welcoming countries … [and will] … wake within society a renewed effort for an authentic culture of welcoming and solidarity.”

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