Pope Francis message for World Day of Migrants & Refugees “Forced like Jesus Christ to flee”
Date Posted: August 14, 2020
The 106th World Day of Migrants and Refugees (WDMR) will be celebrated on Sunday 27th September 2020.
Today, we invite you to watch the third, newly released video, in which the Holy Father explores the sub-theme “To listen in order to be reconciled”. It offers the real-life testimony of an internally displaced person that explains how teamwork and mutual acceptance can create a brighter future and peaceful coexistence between people of different religions.
This video provides further information: To listen
Pope Francis message for World Day of Migrants & Refugees “Forced like Jesus Christ to flee”
Date Posted: August 06, 2020
Pope Francis remind us on this 106thWorld day of Migrants and Refugees, that we should not look at refugees as numbers around the world, rather as suffering people, if we meet and get to know some families, their stories and the suffering they went through, we will understand , just “Like Jesus Christ, forced to flee”. Please click on the following link to view the video: Refugees – Suffering People
Pope Francis message for World Day of Migrants & Refugees “Forced like Jesus Christ to flee”
Date Posted: July 27, 2020
Pope Francis, in his message for the 106th World Day of Migrants and Refugees, focuses on the pastoral care of internally displaced persons who currently number over 41 million worldwide, and whose suffering has been further exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic. Please click on the following link to view the video: Pope Francis Message
World Day of Migrants & Refugees Sunday September 27, 2020
In preparation for this year’s World Day of Migrants and Refugees, which takes place on September 27, 2020, we will be sharing a number of items that explore this year’s theme, dedicated to the pastoral care of Internally Displaced People.
Please click on the following link to read Pope Francis’s message for the 106th World Day of Migrant and Refugees: Pope Francis, WDMR
World Day of Migrants and Refugees – September 27, 2020
Like Jesus Christ, Forced to Flee
On May 13, 2020 Pope Francis issued his document proclaiming the World Day of Migrants and Refugees (WDMR) with its theme “Like Jesus Christ, Forced to Flee. Welcoming, protecting, promoting and integrating internally displaced persons”.
The Pope recognizes internally displaced persons, an often unseen tragedy that the global crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated. Displaced people offer us this opportunity to meet the Lord. There are four verbs that capture this reality; welcoming, protecting, promoting and integrating displaced persons.
In order to welcome someone we need to know and understand them – get close to them and their situation. He indicates that to protect someone it is important to listen very carefully to them. Promoting the other person’s cause we need to be involved in their life in some manner. Integrating means to cooperate and build a future together.
The Pope concludes with a prayer inspired by the example of St. Joseph:
Father, you entrusted to Saint Joseph what you held most precious: the child Jesus and his Mother, in order to protect them from the dangers and threats of the wicked.
Grant that we may experience his protection and help. May he, who shared in the sufferings of those who flee from the hatred of the powerful, console and protect all our brothers and sisters driven by war, poverty and necessity to leave their homes and their lands to set out as refugees for safer places.
Help them, through the intercession of Saint Joseph, to find the strength to persevere, give them comfort in sorrows and courage amid their trials.
Grant to those who welcome them some of the tender love of this just and wise father, who loved Jesus as a true son and sustained Mary at every step of the way.
May he, who earned his bread by the work of his hands, watch over those who have seen everything in life taken away and obtain for them the dignity of a job and the serenity of a home.
We ask this through Jesus Christ, your Son, whom Saint Joseph saved by fleeing to Egypt, and trusting in the intercession of the Virgin Mary, whom he loved as a faithful husband in accordance with your will. Amen.
You can read the entire message from Pope Francis here: Like Jesus Forced to Flee
‘Sterile hypocrisy’ behind mistreatment of migrants
“Sterile Hypocrisy” is the phrase used by Pope Francis in his homily at the Mass for migrants and refugees in July 2018 in Rome. He was referring to those who do not want to ‘dirty their hands,’ like the priest or the Levite in the parable of the good Samaritan. An estimated 200 migrants, refugees and rescue volunteers attended the Mass, which was celebrated at the altar of St. Peter’s Basilica. Pope Francis greeted each person present after the Mass ended.
The Pope said that the response to this issue has not been enough. He challenges us to fulfill Jesus promise to those who labour, to find rest in him as a promise of freedom for all who are oppressed. It is clear, he said that they need our hands, eyes and voices to protest injustices.
A reasonable response to this issue is solidarity and mercy.
Please read the attached article here: Solidarity, Mercy
The original article is on this link: Sterile Hypocrisy Behind Mistreatment of Migrants
Fear becomes sin when it leads to hostility toward migrants (Pope Francis)
The Catholic Register has published an article in their January 2018 edition which summarizes a homily celebrating Mass for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees on January 14. “”The sin is to refuse to encounter the other, the different, the neighbour, when this is in fact a privileged opportunity to encounter the Lord,” said the Pope.
Pope Francis announced that “for pastoral reasons” the date of the annual celebration was being moved to the second Sunday of September. The next World Day of Migrants and Refugees, he said, would be marked Sept. 8, 2019.
“His invitation ‘Come and see!’ is addressed today to all of us, to local communities and to new arrivals,” the Pope said. “It is an invitation to overcome our fears so as to encounter the other, to welcome, to know and to acknowledge him or her.”
People in host countries may be afraid that newcomers “will disturb the established order (or) will ‘steal’ something they have long labored to build up,” he said. And the newcomers have their own fears “of confrontation, judgment, discrimination, failure.”
You may read the entire article at the Catholic Register site: Fear Becomes Sin
You can also read an article on this at the Crux site: Fear of Immigrants
‘Share the journey,’ embrace migrants, refugees (Pope Francis)
Catholic News Service has published an article by Cindy Wooden, outlining the message from Pope Francis that we all must “share the journey” of migrants and refugees.
The Pope was referring to the two-year campaign sponsored by Caritas Internationalis, the global network of national Catholic charities — including the U.S. Catholic Relief Services and Catholic Charities USA — to promote encounters between people on the move and people living in the countries they are leaving, passing through or arriving in.
At the end of his weekly general audience Sept. 27. the Pope said embracing those who have fled their homeland “is a bit like the colonnade of St. Peter’s Square, which represents the mother church who embraces all in sharing a common journey.”
Philippine Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of Manila, president of Caritas Internationalis, said, ‘Share the Journey’ is not just a title or a label for a program — it is that, but more than that, it is a lifestyle, an affirmation that everyone wants and needs someone to share his or her journey through life.”
Sister Norma Pimentel, a member of the Missionaries of Jesus and executive director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley in Texas, joined Cardinal Tagle for the audience with Pope Francis. She said, “Share the Journey is the opportunity for all of us as church, as the people of God, to walk with and be part of that journey that the immigrants are going through, we are saying, ‘We are with you and we want you to know that we will always be with you and care for you.'”
You can read the article from the CRSC site here: Share the journey Sept. 2017
You can also find it at the Catholic Register site: Register – Share the Journey
Please email us with your comments: crsponsorscouncil@gmail.com
Pope Francis – World Day of Migrants and Refugees – January 14, 2018
“Welcoming, protecting, promoting and
integrating migrants and refugees”
On the solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary – August 15, 2017, Pope Francis released his message for the 104th World Day of Migrants and Refugees January 14, 2018.
The theme is “Welcoming, protecting, promoting and integrating migrants and refugees”. The is our shared response to this crisis, says the pope. “Welcoming” is a call to concrete action to increase and simplify the process for granting humanitarian visas and for reunifying families. “Protecting” includes a series of steps intended to defend the rights and dignity of migrants and refugees, independent of their legal status. “Promoting” – all migrants and refugees achieve their potential as human beings and that all foreigners in any country enjoy the freedom of religious belief and practice.” The final concept “Integrating” refers to opportunities for intercultural enrichment which can be accelerated by granting citizenship free of financial or linguistic requirements, and by offering the possibility of special legalization to migrants who can claim a long period of residence in the country of arrival.
Pope Francis refers to the UN Summit held in New York in June 2016. He hopes and prays that the states who committed themselves to drafting and approving, before the end of 2018, two Global Compacts, one for refugees and the other for migrants might come to pass.
Please see the message from Pope Francis here: World Day of Migrants January 14, 2018
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A Church Seeking Justice: The Challenge of Pope Francis to the Church in Canada
The Episcopal Commission for Justice and Peace of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops published this document in October 2015. It asks us to initiate a
discussion on how his teaching in this area of justice is challenging us here in Canada. The gospel certainly proclaims justice, “Whatever you did for the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me”. The Pope calls us to promote the integral development of the poor, working for access to education, health care, employment with a just wage, and on another level, working to eliminate the structural causes of poverty, yet without overlooking the small daily acts
Vatican to take in two refugee families as Pope calls for ‘every religion’ to help
During his weekly Angelus prayer in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday September 6, the pontiff said the Gospel does not allow Christians to sit back from helping those in need. He said, “I address an appeal to the parishes, to the religious communities, to the monasteries and shrines of all of Europe to express the concreteness of the Gospel and welcome a family of refugees, a concrete gesture in preparation of the Holy Year of Mercy. Every parish, every religious community, every monastery, every shrine of Europe house a family, starting from my diocese of Rome.”
In front of a crowd of thousands of people in St Peter’s Square, the Pope said it was not enough to simply encourage the refugees with calls for courage and patience. Instead, he suggested, tangible demonstrations of help were required. “The gospel calls us to be close to the smallest and to those who have been abandoned,” he said.
You can hear and see the Pope at his weekly audience and read the subtitles in English by clicking here.
The National Catholic Reporter newspaper published an article on this issue. You can read it by clicking here.
You can read the Italian version under the title “Appello” from the Vatican by clicking here.
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POPE RELEASES THEME FOR WORLD DAY OF MIGRANTS AND REFUGEES 2016
On August 20, 2015, even though it’s still a few months away, the Vatican has released the message Pope Francis issued for the next World Day of Migrants and Refugees. The theme is:
Migrants and Refugees Challenge us. The Response of the Gospel of Mercy.
It will be held on Sunday January 17, 2016, but the Vatican is already working on highlighting its message on an international level.
According to the official statement, the first part of the theme follows the ongoing crisis along the Mediterranean, where thousands of people have drowned in their attempt to make it to Europe. Similar situations are seen in other parts of the world as well. Above all, the Pope calls on Christians to not be indifferent and to embrace the challenge.
The second part, which reads, ‘The Response of the Gospel of Mercy‘ was included because the next World Day of Migrants will take place precisely during the Year of Mercy, which starts on December 8th. The Pope is also calling on Catholic parishes to take action and combine their help toward migrants with the Year of Mercy.
The first World Day of Migrants and Refugees was held back on February 21st, 1915.
POPE FRANCIS: SEEK FORGIVENESS FOR SHUTTING OUT REFUGEES
On July 17, 2015, Rosie Scammell published an article for Religion News Service regarding Pope Francis and his recent address regarding refugees. Pope Francis said people who shut out refugees should seek forgiveness. Addressing crowds in St. Peter’s Square, Francis drew his followers’ attention to the U.N.’s World Refugee Day. “It is my hope that the international community should act in a fitting and effective way to prevent the causes of forced migration,” the pontiff said. He called on Catholics to pray for people “who seek a home where they can live without fear” and praised those who help refugees. The Pope has repeatedly expressed his support for migrants and refugees, in 2013 visiting the Italian island of Lampedusa, which is an arrival point for many people taking the journey across the Mediterranean.
You can read the story here
The article on the internet is located here
POPE FRANCIS’ LENTEN MESSAGE 2015
“MAKE YOUR HEARTS FIRM”
In this year’s Lenten message, Pope Francis highlighted the need to counter-act the culture of indifference. He focuses on the danger of indifference, apathy and irresponsibility. It’s important to delve into this, because it’s a phenomenon that’s happening in the world right now. The message titled, “Make your Hearts Firm”, deals with a social problem, mostly the indifference of those who are materially wealthy, but poor in the heart. The Pope says the solution is educating through mercy. The Pope also reminded Christians that Lent is a time for renewal and this year, he says, the focus should be on looking towards the suffering of others and lending a helping hand.
You can read the entire message by clicking here.
Pope meets with Syrian and Iraqi refugees in Turkey
The meeting took place in Istanbul’s Don Bosco Oratory in Nov. 2014. The refugees are originally from Syria, Iraq and other Middle Eastern countries. Pope Francis addressed the young crowd. The Pope explained that through his visit, he wants to show his support. He asked them to not give up, adding that God does not forget His children. He called for the international community to work together to improve the situation.
You can see and hear his remarks here.
The Pope’s most moving and painful moment in Turkey: His meeting with refugees
At the General Audience in Rome on Dec. 3, 2014 Pope Francis spoke about his visit to Turkey. He spoke about the the need for all governments to respect religious freedom. One of the most moving and also painful moments of the trip, he said, was his meeting with young refugees, who fled from the Islamic State.
You can see and read more about this here.
Pope Francis meets members of World Meeting of Popular Movements
Vatican Radio reports that Pope Francis met with the participants at the World Meeting of Popular Movements in November, 2014. He said that it is not sufficient to be content with “illusory promises,” and that anesthetizing or taming problems at hand does not solve them. He called for solidarity, to fight against the structural causes of poverty, inequality, unemployment, and [loss of] land, housing, and social and labour rights. Also on the agenda were the problems of housing and employment. The Holy Father stressed that this was unacceptable. He concluded by saying, “I know that among you are persons of different religions, professions, ideas, cultures, and continents. We are practicing here a culture of meeting that is removed from xenophobia, discrimination and intolerance that we so often see.”
There is a picture of the Pope and the group here.
You can read more about this meeting here.
“Rome Reports” also has a brief introduction to the meeting. You can see it here.
“For Christians, No One is a Stranger”
Pope Francis spoke to the World Congress for the Pastoral Care of Migrants in November and stressed that all people have a right to improve their lives. Immigration is a doorway to hope for many people who lack opportunities in their country of origin. Pope Francis said that for the Church “no one is a stranger”. He concluded by saying migrants are “a reminder of the need to eradicate inequality, injustice and abuses.”
You can hear and read more on this here.
World Day of Migrants 2015, Pope Message
The mission of the Church, herself a pilgrim in the world and the Mother of all, is thus to love Jesus Christ, to adore and love him, particularly in the poorest and most abandoned; among these are certainly migrants and refugees, who are trying to escape difficult living conditions and dangers of every kind. For this reason, the theme for this year’s World Day of Migrants and Refugees is: Church without frontiers, Mother to all.
Read the full text here: World Day of Migrants 2015, Pope Message
The Holy See Addresses the United Nations – September 29, 2014
The Holy See (Vatican) has the status of “Permanent Observer” to the United Nations. His Eminence Pietro Cardinal Parolin Secretary of State of His Holiness Pope Francis addressed the General Assembly of the UN on behalf of the Pope. He noted that Pope Francis recently reiterated the Holy See’s esteem and appreciation for the United Nations as an indispensable means of building an authentic family of peoples. He recalled that the Pope encouraged “all the competent organs of the United Nations, in particular those responsible for security, peace, humanitarian law and assistance to refugees, to continue their efforts in accordance with the Preamble and relevant Articles of the United Nations Charter”. He asks, What, then, are the paths open to us? There is the path of promoting dialogue and understanding among cultures which is already implicitly contained in the Preamble and First Article of the Charter of the United Nations. Pope Francis says that he wishes all to recall that it is both licit and urgent to stop aggression through multilateral action and a proportionate use of force. Finally, the Pope calls for the promotion of a culture of peace.
Read the full text here: Pope Francis to the UN Sept, 2014
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