The Maltese government has officially asked Pope Francis to let a migrant family live with him in a letter to the Vatican.

“This would serve as a motivational reminder for other bigger states to carry their fair share of the burden which Malta is disproportionately facing,” Foreign Affairs minister Evarist Bartolo told the Times of Malta.

The request came in a “note verbale” diplomatic message where the government highlights the challenges the island is facing with a seemingly endless stream of migrants coming towards Europe.

The government said housing a migrant family would be a “gesture of solidarity” that might influence other EU countries to carry their fair share of the migrant burden and “lessen human suffering”.

The letter comes as migrants are being kept on a Captain Morgan vessel in the middle of the ocean awaiting an EU response, and the country closes its ports to vessels amid a COVID-19 outbreak.

Recently, popular TV host Peppi Azzopardi had said he would be inviting a migrant family into his home and urged others to do so, a pledge that garnered him praise as well as harsh criticism from Maltese people.

Would you open your home up to a migrant family to show solidarity with your fellow humans? Let us know in the comments below.