In a message from the Vatican on Tuesday, Pope Francis praised the work of the news service for migrants, a partnership between three major European media outlets including Deutsche Welle.

"I am close with affection and encouragement to those institutions, associations and individuals who open up wisely to the migratory phenomenon with interventions of support, bearing witness to the human and Christian values that are the base of European civilization," Pope Francis said.

The Infomigrants portal , co-financed by the European Union, is published in French, Arabic and English and is aimed at migrants "to counter misinformation at every point of their journey," and provide "verified and balanced information" to help them avoid being tricked by people smugglers.

Risky journeyst