"In the first six months of the year there have been more than 14,000 illegal entries, or attempted entries, into Switzerland. Migrants who are caught are sent back to Italy.
"Tighter controls on the trains that run between the two countries means that some are resorting to hiking remote trails through the mountains in a bid to evade Italian and Swiss authorities.
"That can be arduous in the summer but will become much more dangerous in the winter, when snow covers the mountains." [1]
It would not be his style to be singing "Climb Every Mountain" at the top of his lungs for today's refugees like Mother Abess had sung at the top of hers [2] while the von Trapp family was crossing from Austria into Switzerland in the musical, The Sound of Music:
"Climb every mountain,
Search high and low,
Follow every byway,
Every path you know.
"Climb every mountain,
Ford every stream,
Follow every rainbow,
'Till you find your dream.
"A dream that will need
All the love you can give,
Every day of your life
For as long as you live.
"Climb every mountain,
Ford every stream,
Follow every rainbow,
Till you find your dream
"A dream that will need
All the love you can give,
Every day of your life,
For as long as you live.
"Climb every mountain,
Ford every stream,
Follow every rainbow,
Till you find your dream." [3]
And it would certainly be inappropriate for such a song with those lyrics because the dreams of refugees have largely become nightmares, should they be fortunate enough to live long enough to experience them -- "[s]o far this year, nearly 3,000 migrants and refugees have died in the Mediterranean – a dramatic increase on the 1,870 who died last year." [4]
Instead of a song, the pope "[had on June 22, 2016,] invited a dozen refugees to join him on the steps of St. Peter’s Basilica for his general audience to press his demand for Europe to welcome more migrants." [5]
"A dozen men ascended the steps with Francis on Wednesday and sat in front of him on the ground as he delivered his weekly catechism lesson [6]. They carried banners of the Catholic charity in Florence, Italy, that is caring for them and Vatican flags.
"In his remarks, Francis said the refugees had suffered in their home countries.
"He said: 'Please they are our brothers. A Christian excludes no one. I ask all of you: Let everyone come.'
"Francis brought a dozen Syrian refugees home with him when he visited Greece in April. Recently, the Vatican brought a second group to Rome." [7]
Why bring refugees from Greece to the Vatican when there are plenty in Italy? Why not welcome to the Vatican those who have been caught crossing into Switzerland illegally and sent back to Italy? After all, living with the pope in the Vatican is as close to living in Switzerland as one can get with Swiss Guards everywhere. [8] Some of the differences could very well be that those living with the pope would have free meals and daily housekeeping, which most Swiss citizens do not, in addition to sharing the pope's Joy of the Gospel ("Evangelii Gaudium") [9] and his Joy of Love ("Amoris Lætitia") [10].
[1] http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/07/22/refugees-and-migrants-stuck-in-italy-open-up-new-route-to-northe/
[2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcWXCaXQmKI
[3] http://www.lyricsfreak.com/t/the+sound+of+music/climb+every+mountain_20610894.html
[4] http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/07/22/refugees-and-migrants-stuck-in-italy-open-up-new-route-to-northe/
[5] https://cruxnow.com/ap/2016/06/22/pope-invites-refugees-join-stage-audience/
[6] http://aleteia.org/2016/06/22/pope-francis-wednesday-catechesis-for-june-22-2016-full-text/ The pope used the story of the leper who entered the city illegally whom Jesus healed as a lesson to teach the countries with illegal refugees and migrants entering them to show mercy as Jesus had shown mercy. The point he made was not quite on point. He glossed over the fact that people of the countries who accept refugees and migrants are not miracle workers. Even for a miracle worker like Jesus, He had not performed a miracle that healed all the lepers (even though He could), including those who may not have absolute faith in Jesus, unlike the one who was healed. How many of the illegal refugees and migrants have faith in Christ only God knows. If they do, would God not save their souls, wherever they may be? See the story of Joseph and his "ISIS-like" brothers at https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+37&version=NIV.
[7] https://cruxnow.com/ap/2016/06/22/pope-invites-refugees-join-stage-audience/
[8] http://www.guardiasvizzera.va/content/guardiasvizzera/en/diventare-guardia.html
[9] http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20131124_evangelii-gaudium.html
[10] https://w2.vatican.va/content/dam/francesco/pdf/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20160319_amoris-laetitia_en.pdf
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