A catholic Bishop has compared the loss of lives among migrants crossing the Mediterranean to the loss of Irish lives on the 'coffin ships' during the Great Famine.
Bishop of Cloyne William Crean has called for special prayers at Masses in the diocese of Cloyne this weekend for all those involved in the refugee crisis.
Many of the Irish naval personnel who have worked in the Mediterranean are based in the diocese.
Bishop Crean said everyone had an obligation to safeguard the rights, the religion and traditions of migrants fleeing persecution.
The loss of so many innocent lives at sea “resonates strongly with the Irish experience of the coffin ships during the time of the Great Famine”, he said in a statement.
