Addressing a UN meeting on refugees in Europe, a Vatican diplomat praised the European Union for extending until March 2027 its temporary protection of Ukrainian refugees.
“Becoming a refugee is never a choice,” said Archbishop Ettore Balestrero, apostolic nuncio and Permanent Observer to the United Nations and other international organizations in Geneva, Switzerland. “The right to life must be prioritized, and the principle of non-refoulement must be upheld. No person in need of protection should die at sea or at land borders due to withheld, delayed, or conditional assistance.”
Archbishop Balestrero added:
The Holy See supports efforts to develop more predictable, route-based responses, including strengthened search-and-rescue coordination. However, such an approach must also address the root causes of forced displacement, so that no one is compelled to leave his or her home due to a well founded fear of persecution.