Pope affirms right of people to return home after unjust exile in meeting with Chagos refugees

"Pope Leo XIV strongly affirmed the right of people to return to their homes after an unjust exile, issuing the message during an audience Saturday with refugees from Chagos, the Indian Ocean archipelago that is home to the strategic U.S.-U.K. military base. No one can force them into exile, history's first American pope said."

"Leo met with a delegation of about 15 refugees from Chagos, some 2,000 of whom who were evicted from their homes by Britain in the 1960s and 1970s so the United States could build a naval and bomber base on the largest of the islands, Diego Garcia. Displaced islanders fought for years in U.K. courts for the right to go home."

"The renewed prospect of your return to your native archipelago is an encouraging sign and a powerful symbol on the international stage, Leo said in French. All peoples, even the smallest and weakest, must be respected by the powerful in their identity and rights, in particular the right to live on their land; and no one can force them into exile."

Pope Leo XIV affirmed the right of Chagossian people to return to their homes after unjust exile and met a delegation of about 15 refugees. Roughly 2,000 islanders were evicted by Britain in the 1960s and 1970s to allow the United States to build a naval and bomber base on Diego Garcia. Britain and Mauritius signed a May treaty to transfer sovereignty to Mauritius while allowing resettlement and protecting the base. The pope called the treaty a significant victory, praised Chagossian women, urged Mauritian commitment to return, and pledged local Church assistance.

Read at www.mercurynews.com