Pope Francis said yesterday that the Mediterranean is a cemetery, but that the largest is in North Africa, also denouncing the criminal exploitation of migrants.

The Pope was speaking to journalists during his flight back to Rome after taking part in World Youth Day (WYD) 2023 in Portugal.

Francis lamented the situation in the desert between Tunisia and Libya, where migrants are left to die.

"The Mediterranean is a cemetery, but the biggest cemetery is North Africa. It's terrible," said the Holy Father, quoted by the international press.

The world leader of the Catholic Church said that the exploitation of migrants is criminal, not in Europe, but in the camps of North Africa.

He warned that in this region there are many concentration camps, something "terrible", and pointed out that last week the NGO Mediterranea Saving Humans was carrying out work to rescue migrants in the Libyan and Tunisian deserts.

Also during the flight, Francis announced that he will be traveling to Marseille, France, on September 22 and 23 to take part in a meeting on the Mediterranean Sea, the scene of countless migrant tragedies in recent years, because of his concern for this area.

"The bishops of the Mediterranean are going to hold this meeting, with some politicians too, to reflect seriously on the drama of migrants," he added.

World Youth Day began on Tuesday and ended this Sunday. According to international press reports, around 1.5 million people were in Lisbon, the Portuguese capital, on Saturday and Sunday to take part in what is considered to be the Catholic Church's biggest event.