World’s Day of Migrants and Refugees (1)

World's Day of Migrants and Refugees (1)

IT IS NOT JUST ABOUT MIGRANTS… The 29th of September is World’s Day of Migrants and Refugees. An opportunity to change our hearts, our ways of thinking… and to enter into the logic of God. NOT JUST ABOUT THE MIGRANTS… IT’S ALSO ABOUT OUR FEARS.

“The ugly cruelty of our time tempts us to abandon any dream of freedom. And so we close in on ourselves, within our fragile certainty and security, inside the circle of people we like, in our safe routine.

Withdrawing into ourselves is a sign of defeat, and it increases our fear of “others”, strangers, outsiders, foreigners especially today, when migrants and refugees arrive to knock at our door in search of protection, security, and a better future.

It is not easy to enter into someone else’s culture, to put on the shoes of people who are so different from us and understand their thoughts and experiences. And so we often refuse to encounter others and raise barriers to protect ourselves. Instead of this, we are called to overcome fear and open up to encounter.”

Pope Francis

The Church has been celebrating World’s Day of Migrants and Refugees ever since 1914. It is always an opportunity for her to express concern for the most vulnerable people, who have to move for one reason or another; it is also an opportunity to pray for the challenges of migration and to raise awareness of the opportunities it offers.

For 2019, Pope Francis has chosen the theme “It is not only about migrants” to help remove our blinders and to ensure that no one is excluded from society, whether they are long-term residents or newcomers.

Download here the full kit for Pastoral use.

Official website

IT IS NOT JUST ABOUT MIGRANTS