On Good Friday, many of us followed the Adoration of the Cross on live television. It was a long moment of meditation on the brutality that happened almost two thousand years ago. We still struggle to come to terms with the extreme cruelty of death by crucifixion. But the true meaning of the Cross runs deeper. It reveals that the very heart of God is mercy and forgiveness.

At the same time, in a parallel world not far away from our quasi-uncharitable one, 270 human beings were left abandoned to their fates at sea, reportedly in unseaworthy boats without as much of a drop of drinking water. And here I am, wondering how I could possibly reconcile myself to such callous disregard for human life when Jesus Christ had just been nailed to that awful cross to save my very own.

On Easter Sunday, Pope Francis reminded us of our duty to reach out to migrants drifting in boats at sea. They too were created in the image of God and he encouraged us to return the same mercy shown to us by the crucified Christ. But no, for the umpteenth time, the Authorities will not intervene to assist the pesky migrants in distress.

The engines of their boats did not run any more, but we pretended not to have noticed them, whilst we hoped that they would drift out of our search and rescue area and become someone else’s problem. It is far easier to pass the buck than to take responsibility of our own actions. What a shame!

The migrants would even be forgiven for doubting that this was the same island that gave shelter to the apostle Paul and all the other survivors of that famous shipwreck many years ago. “The islanders showed us unusual kindness. They built a fire and welcomed us all because it was raining and cold.” (Acts 28:2) Sorry, but we Maltese don’t do kindness any more. It’s a thing of the past.

Not one of us would ever dream of trading places with the hapless migrants who are seeking asylum. Perhaps we should. Who knows? We may even regain that sense of perspective that we lost in this regard. Because, when we choose to look the other way, we are effectively sanctioning the harm that the migrants will suffer, including death by drowning. We have closed our eyes to their plight.

When the full force of the waves in the sea eventually turns a boat over, they will be hurled into the sea, hitting the water with a large splash. And even if they are lucky enough to come back up to the surface of the deep blue sea, nobody will hear their shrieks of terror. And as they cough up the seawater that they swallowed, they will struggle to remain afloat without a life jacket.

Desperately, they will try to scramble up the dinghy, but their wet and heavy clothes will pull them underwater, while they strain for the surface, gasping for air. Their tired bodies gripped with the fear of sinking into the deep dark abyss, until they disappear completely.

No, none of us would ever dream of trading places. For judging by the opinion polls in our newspapers, we would be almost certainly condemned to death by drowning or pushed back to more horror in the dreadful Libyan prison camps. We will be derided with racist slurs and accused of spreading the Coronavirus. There will be no pity, no compassion for those of us fleeing violence, horror and poverty. And certainly, no warm welcome.

The silence of our political leaders on the matter is deafening. It is possible that they are annoyed because the latest migrant crises could have spoilt their Easter weekend. Sweeping the problem under the carpet shows a lack of leadership skills and is just an excuse for getting away with doing sweet nothing.  It will not save the migrants’ lives. They are in our search and rescue area and it is up to us to show the world what Malta is made of.

When it was reported that one of the boats with around 110 people on board had disappeared from the radar of the aircraft that was monitoring the situation in the Maltese search and rescue area, we feared for the worst. It was only after 37 local civil society organisations expressed serious concern over the latest migrant crises that we were informed by our Armed Forces that they had reached Italian territory safe and sound.

Instead of pandering to the masses by taking decisions that are morally objectionable in order to spike their popularity rating, our political leaders should show courage and do the right thing. But, it seems, there is no authority figure that can deal with such a situation with absolute integrity. No-one, it seems, who can state, hand on heart, that they have solemnly done their utmost to prevent loss of precious life.

Meanwhile, people continue to lose their lives in the Mediterranean Sea. It is like a rush to the cemetery for some refugees who had hopes for a more prosperous life on the European Continent. Each life lost is like a grim milestone leading up to a one-way street from which there is no return. Indeed, Mare Nostrum has become somewhat of a Mare Caemeterium and we are stuck between the devil and the deep blue sea.