Marseille, 23 September 2023 (dpa/MIA) - Pope Francis warned on Saturday against isolationism and scaremongering in the face of irregular migration from Africa across the Mediterranean to Europe.

The fate of migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea from Africa to Europe is one of the pope's main topics during his visit to Marseille in southern France.

"The Mediterranean mirrors the world, with the South turning to the North, with many developing countries, plagued by instability, regimes, wars and desertification," Francis said at the end of a youth meeting with participants from 29 Mediterranean countries.

He added that "the disparities have never been so wide."

Regular entry possibilities and a balanced reception of migrants in Europe must be guaranteed, the pontiff said.

Migration is neither an invasion nor an emergency but a fact of our time that must be addressed, he added.

Of course, he added, the difficulties of welcoming migrants could not be overlooked.

"But the main criterion cannot be the preservation of one's own prosperity, but rather the preservation of human dignity," the pope said.

Integration is an arduous process but it is a key to the future, Francis said.

On the second day of his visit to Marseille, the pope planned to hold a mass in the afternoon for nearly 60,000 people.

French President Emmanuel Macron, who met the pontiff for talks beforehand, is also expected to attend the service.

Up to 100,000 onlookers are expected along the route that Francis plans to take in the city in the Popemobile on Saturday.

Photo: EPA