Refugee crisis: Pope appeals to European parishes to take in 1 family each

Pope Francis has calledon every European parish and religious community to takein one migrant family each, in a gesture of solidarity he saidwould start in the tiny Vatican state where he lives.

"I appeal to the parishes, the religious communities, themonasteries and sanctuaries of all Europe to ... take in one
family of refugees," he said after his Sunday address in Vatican City.

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The Pope's call goes out to tens of thousands of Catholicparishes in Europe as the number of refugees arriving over landthrough the Balkans and across the Mediterranean to Italy andGreece hits record levels.

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There are more than 25,000 parishes in Italy alone, and morethan 12,000 in Germany, where many of the Syrians fleeing civilwar and people trying to escape poverty and hardship in othercountries say they want to end up.

The crowd in St. Peter's Square applauded as the pontiff,himself the grandson of Italians who immigratedto Argentina, said:"Every parish, every religious community, every monastery, everysanctuary of Europe, take in one family."

In a separate message on Sunday, the Popemade an apparent criticism of a wall Hungary is building at the EU's border.

"It is violence to build walls and barriers to stop those who look for a place of peace. It is violence to push back those who flee inhuman conditions in the hope of a better future," he said in a letter to a Church association meeting in Albania.

Francis said taking in migrant families was a "concretegesture" to prepare for the extraordinary Holy Year on the themeof mercy which is due to begin on Dec. 8.