As the human tide of refugees and asylum seekers continues to move into Europe, Pope Francis announced that his two convents at the Vatican were to take in refugee families. In his homily yesterday, the Pope urged all other convents, monasteries and indeed the faithful, to offer shelter to those who are fleeing war and persecution in Syria.

The saying goes that charity begins at home, and while politicians bicker over numbers and policies, people have taken things into their own hands and are trying to organise shelter for migrants.

We cannot continue to be indifferent. Are we really going to sit on our hands and idly watch as tens of thousands of people wander the streets of Europe trying to find a home?

While this must all start on a level of compassion, we must also realise that the threat of home grown terrorist could be in the making if we do not absorb and integrate displaced people. Many of those who commit acts of terror in their own country cite ghettoisation, disenfranchisement and an inability to integrate as the reasons why they turned their backs on their places of birth.

It is becoming painfully clear that there is no solid answer to this whole state of affairs. But what is abundantly clear is that action needs to be taken. Some are calling for a massive campaign in Syria to get rid of the Islamic State. But that is not all there is to it. There is no magic wand solution to this situation. Our leaders must come together and hammer out a long-term plan to, at the very least, deal with this phenomenon in terms of preparedness. As September slips away and ushers in October, the weather will become more unpredictable. The people smugglers will do their best to make their money’s worth before the straits between Turkey and Kos become too turbulent. The same will happen with Libya. It is clear that The Frontex Operation has delivered results. How many more have to die before a similar deployment is made near the Turkish coast? The Turks are doing what they can, as are the Greeks. But as we have experienced firsthand, such an operation is too much for one or two countries alone to handle. Not having the resources to deal with the problem compounds it. If things remain unchecked, we could have another ‘Lampedusa’ tragedy on our hands.

The image of Aylan Kurdi seems to have galvanised politicians into action. But the same had happened when the original Lampedusa tragedy unfolded. Promises were made and action plans were drawn up. But in the end, things just returned to the status quo. We cannot allow that to happen again. The issue of migration must be on the agenda at all times. The moment that it is not made a priority is the moment that the problem will spiral out of control. There are no ifs and buts in this issue. The tide is not going to stop anytime soon. Procrastination will only lead to more death.