Pope Francis terms Europe's rejection of migrants 'an act of war'

Calls Rohingyas their "brothers", urges European countries to be more welcoming of migrants

Pope Francis has termed Europe's rejection of migrants fleeing violence in Middle East and Africa “an act of war”.

Speaking to a youth group in Vatican City on Friday, he said that the situation where desperate migrants are moving from country to country seeking shelter was “an unresolved conflict... and this is war, this is violence, it’s called murder.”

The Pope, head of the global Catholic Christian order, also urged youth members to remember the Muslim Rohingya refugees from Myanmar and Bangladesh, calling them "our brothers."

Read: Mediterranean migrant deaths in 2015 pass 2,000

According to Doctors Without Borders, more than 2,000 migrants are believed to have died in the past eight months while making the journey across the Mediterranean sea in overloaded boats operated by people smugglers.

Thousands have fled persecution, war and famine in their home countries with the majority believed to be from Eritrea, Syria and Afghanistan. The UN said on Saturday that as many as 125,000 migrants had ended up in Greece.

Many set off from Libya and capsize with charities such as Save the Children forced to sends boats to rescue them and bring them to Lampedusa or Sicily.

In recent weeks, Rohingya migrants have also been refused sanctuary in Myanmar, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia.

Read: Pope says environmental sinners will answer to God

In May, the Pope had warned “the powerful of the earth” over migrants and that they will have to answer to God if they fail to protect the environment to ensure the world can feed its population.

The article originally appeared on The Independent