The shocking photo of a little boy’s corpse washed ashore on the Libyan coast is the modern image of the crucifix, according to the Archbishop.

The image, which appeared on the front page of Times of Malta, symbolised the plight of thousands of migrants searching for a better life, he said.

Mgr Charles Scicluna conveyed this strong message on RTK radio yesterday, when he was reacting to the latest migrants’ tragedies in the Mediterranean – more than 400 died attempting to cross over to Europe from Libya.

The Archbishop referred to the photo published last Thursday portraying the grim scene of a dead two-year-old boy with outstretched arms being washed ashore on the Tripoli coast.

He called on Catholics to show more empathy with migrants and called on EU member states to show more solidarity, saying that so far they had shown little regard for this crisis.

“During Holy Week celebrations we easily get emotional at the sight of the crucifix but we must equally express the same sentiment when faced by such tragic images so close to home. These are real, not made of papier-mâché (kartpesta),” Mgr Scicluna said, drawing a comparison between the dead bodies and the Good Friday statues.

The Archbishop expressed concern on the strong words used by some Maltese against migrants, saying such sentiments could also reflect a state of panic within sections of our society.

On the other hand, he expressed grief at reports that Christians were being singled out on boats laden with migrants and thrown to their death in the open seas.