Pope decries 'stone hearts' of indifference to migrants' pain

Pope Francis prays in front of the Column of the Virgin Mary, near the Spanish Steps, on the feast of the Immaculate Conception, in Rome, Italy December 8, 2021. Vatican Media/ Handout via REUTERS

ROME (Reuters) - Pope Francis made a private pre-dawn visit to a Rome religious landmark on Wednesday for the second year in a row because of the COVID-19 pandemic and decried the "stone hearts" of those not moved by the suffering of migrants.

Francis, wearing a full-length white overcoat against the cold, arrived near Rome's Spanish steps before 6:15 a.m. (0515 GMT), and stayed for 10 minutes. He prayed and placed a basket of white roses at the base of a 12-metre column bearing a statue of the Madonna.