THE Pope has urged Europe to craft a unified and fair immigration policy, saying the thousands of refugees coming ashore need acceptance and assistance, not self-interested policies that risk lives and fuel social conflict.

Francis made the comments to the European Parliament during a visit that was meant to highlight his vision for Europe a quarter of a century after St John Paul II travelled to Strasbourg to address a continent still divided by the Iron Curtain.

Greeted with a lengthy standing ovation, Francis said he wanted to bring a message of hope to Europeans distrustful of their institutions, burdened by economic crisis and spiritually adrift in a culture that, he said, no longer values the dignity of human beings.

He added: "A Europe which is no longer open to the transcendent dimension of life is a Europe which risks slowly losing its own soul."

The Pope called for politicians to promote policies that create jobs and accept immigrants, saying: "We cannot allow the Mediterranean to become a vast cemetery."

The Argentine Jesuit has frequently spoken out about the plight of migrants seeking a better life in Europe, and travelled to the tiny island of Lampedusa in the summer of 2013 to show solidarity with the thousands of migrants who arrive and to honour those who have died trying.

Italy, home of the Vatican, has borne the brunt of the burden of rescuing the migrants, though recently the EU's border agency has stepped in to help.

Francis warned that the absence of a coherent EU migration policy "contributes to slave labour and continuing social tensions".

He said Europe would only be able to confront immigration-related conflict by "enacting adequate legislation to protect the rights of European citizens and to ensure the acceptance of immigrants".

His comments came as a freighter crammed with hundreds of migrants was reported to be drifting without engine power in high winds off Crete, sparking a rescue mission by the Greek authorities.