A press conference was held at the site, near the city's train station, to mark World Refugee Day. Attending were Archbishop Uzinić, Jesuit Refugee Service Director Stanko Perica, and the Imam of Rijeka, Hidajet Hasanović.
The transit point for migrants in Rijeka started operating in October 2022 in response to the humanitarian crisis involving a large number of migrants passing through the city. The initiative was launched by citizens and supported by the Archdiocese and the city administration.
Uzinić said that several thousand people had passed through the transit centre. "Every day our volunteers and Jesuit Refugee Service staff bear witness to the gravity of the situation faced by these people, who have left their homes, families and friends in the hopes of finding a better future behind our open doors," he said.
"What we could do is contribute to a more systematic solution to the migrant phenomenon, which will not stop until the situation has changed in countries from which they embark on a dangerous journey into uncertainty in search of a better life, to which every person has the right," the archbishop said.
He said that two years ago the Rijeka Archdiocese joined the initiative to establish humanitarian corridors together with the Jesuit Refugee Service in response to Pope Francis' call to enable at least a small number of migrants to find salvation in Croatia in a legal and safe way.
"Unfortunately, the relevant ministry did not provide support, saying that there are no legal conditions for something like that in Croatia," Uzinić said and added: "It is true that there is not enough will to create the necessary legal conditions, which shows the lack of interest on the part of the authorities to address this issue differently than has been the case so far."
"Croatia can do better and differently," the archbishop said, noting that the archdiocesan Caritas is caring for about 800 refugees from Ukraine.