On the occasion of World Catholic Refugee Day, this Sunday, the Pope calls for solidarity with refugees and sympathy for their situation.
It’s not that far from Marseille to Rome by plane: the flight only takes about an hour and a half. However, Pope Francis, on his 44th birthday return…
“Let us allow ourselves to be touched by the story of so many brothers and sisters in need who have the right to emigrate or not to emigrate, and let us not close ourselves in indifference”, appealed Francisco in a tweet about the motto celebrated on September 24th – a day that focuses on this day. whether you have the freedom to stay or go.
Preservation of human dignity as the main criterion
The difficulties in welcoming, protecting, promoting and integrating people who are not expected are clearly visible, the Pope wrote in a second tweet this Sunday. “The main criterion, however, cannot be the preservation of prosperity itself, but rather the preservation of human dignity,” said Francis, who responded to an appeal he made to Europe and the world on Saturday, from the Mediterranean metropolis of Marseille.
In his message for World Refugee Day, the Pope calls on the international community to defend the right not to emigrate and to combat the causes of flight. “Migration must always be a free choice”, he emphasizes in the text published by the Vatican on May 11, 2023. Today, however, emigration is forced in many cases: “Conflicts, natural catastrophes or simply the impossibility of taking a dignified and prosperous life in their country are forcing millions of people to leave”.
Combat the causes of forced migration
The Pope calls for a “common commitment from all” to address the causes of forced migration. Persecution, wars and impoverishment must end. The fight against climate change is also part of this commitment, “which begins by asking ourselves what we can do, but also what we can no longer do”, said the Pope. “We must fight to end the arms race, economic colonialism, the theft of others’ resources and the destruction of our common home.”
World Catholic Day of Migrants and Refugees takes place for the 109th time this year. This year’s motto for September 24th is: Free to decide to emigrate or stay. Pope Benedict XV (1914-1922) first proclaimed the day in 1914. Pope Francis changed the previous date from January to September. During his apostolic trip to Marseille (September 22-23, 2023), the Pope called for a change of mindset on how to deal with Mediterranean refugees.
-updated at 9:54 am: second tweet from the Pope-
(Vatican news – pr)