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| Pope Francis hugs a Nigerian Migrant who narrated his story / Credit - ACI Prensa |
One of the most moving moments of Pope Francis' apostolic trip to Malta, held between April 2 and 3, was the embrace that the Pontiff gave Daniel Jude Oukeguale, a young Nigerian who fled his country to Europe in search of a better future.
The last activity of the papal trip was the meeting with Migrants and Refugees at the John XXIII Peace Laboratory, a center that currently welcomes 55 migrants in Hal Far and was founded by the Franciscan priest Dionisio Mintoff more than 50 years ago.
Arriving at the center, Pope Francis was received by the delegate of the Archbishop of Malta for the pastoral care of migrants, Fr. Anton Damat; by Fr. Mintoff, 91 years old; and by more than 160 migrants and refugees.
The moving hug came after Daniel finished telling Pope Francis, and the more than 200 people present, about the suffering and traumatic moments he experienced as a migrant trying to escape several times to Malta.
The last activity of the papal trip was the meeting with Migrants and Refugees at the John XXIII Peace Laboratory, a center that currently welcomes 55 migrants in Hal Far and was founded by the Franciscan priest Dionisio Mintoff more than 50 years ago.
Arriving at the center, Pope Francis was received by the delegate of the Archbishop of Malta for the pastoral care of migrants, Fr. Anton Damat; by Fr. Mintoff, 91 years old; and by more than 160 migrants and refugees.
The moving hug came after Daniel finished telling Pope Francis, and the more than 200 people present, about the suffering and traumatic moments he experienced as a migrant trying to escape several times to Malta.
Daniel recounted that he left Nigeria five years ago due to the conflict in his country, and that he lived through tragic moments along with other migrants in their various failed attempts to cross the Mediterranean Sea towards Europe.
He said that he saw human bodies burned in the desert; that he was extorted in Libya and Tunisia by smugglers who promised to take him by boat to Europe, in exchange for the money he earned by working as a bricklayer and artist; and that he was locked up in detention centers in Libya and Tunisia under conditions that drove many insane.
One of the most shocking moments was when he recounted that, when leaving Libya, he saw four of his migrant friends die in a shipwreck. “Four fell into the sea, unfortunately. We managed to save only two. We were all scared to death! I almost gave up hope and at that point I fell asleep hoping to die,” he said.
The young man recounted that upon arriving in Malta, the overwhelming joy he felt at achieving his goal was overshadowed when he was taken to the local detention center for six months.
“I had lost my mind and every night I was asking God 'why?!'” he said. “I was wondering if the journey undertaken was a mistake. Why should men like us consider us enemies, criminals and not brothers?” he added.
Finally, Daniel said that he was taken to the Juan XXIII Peace Laboratory, a place that helped him renew his hopes and desire to dream. “I can say that now my life has improved a lot thanks to the support of the people who helped me,” he noted.
At the end of his speech, Daniel approached to greet Pope Francis and he gave him a hug, exchanged a few words with him, shook his hands and gave him a small gift. The moment was immortalized in the tender photo that went viral on social media.
Pope Francis already knew about Daniel before meeting him in person, because on the flight from Rome to Malta, the Spanish correspondent Eva Fernández gave him a painting, made by Daniel and explained that "it reflects the moment of the shipwreck on the way to Malta", in which that some of his friends drowned. "How much pain!" Pope Francis said.
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