By Dominic Smith, Saturday 18 April 2015, The Guardian (UK)

The new Italian president, Sergio Mattarella, meeting Pope Francis at the Vatican. Photograph: Alessandra Benedetti/Corbis
Pope Francis has appealed for a greater international effort to help Italy cope with the growing humanitarian crisis in the Mediterranean, after a week in which about 450 migrants are believed to have drowned.
Speaking after meeting the new Italian president, Sergio Mattarella, at the Vatican on Saturday, the pontiff said: “It is evident that the proportions of the phenomenon demand much greater involvement. We must not tire in our attempts to solicit a more extensive response at the European and international level.”