MARSEILLE – After a week of rising tensions within Europe amid a surge in migrant arrivals, with some countries, including France, taking measures against asylum seekers, Pope Francis in Marseille Saturday challenged “alarmist propaganda” over immigration and advocated for a unified equitable reception policy.

While the port of Marseille is a gateway to France and Europe, some countries have chosen to try to close their doors, the pope said at the Sept. 23 close of the Rencontres Méditerranéennes taking place in Marseille this week.