Bishop Anthony Randazzo, president of the Federation of Catholic Bishops Conference of Oceania, has announced the creation of a network to support thousands of migrant workers, refugees and their families across the Pacific. Source: Broken Bay News.
The Migrant and Refugee Oceania Network will serve as a unifying voice offering much-needed pastoral and practical support for the region’s unique challenges.
Bishop Randazzo made the announcement in Rome, where he is attending the Synod on Synodality at the Vatican.
“This is what a Synodal Church looks like where words are supported by actions that foster and generate real human relationships, a region not on the periphery but a region in which we live and work together in solidarity, making sure no one is forgotten,” Bishop Randazzo said.
The bishop announced details of the network at a dinner in Rome on Saturday with leaders from the four episcopal conferences of Oceania – the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference, the Conference of Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands and the Episcopal Conference of the Pacific.
Oceania covers a vast area of the Pacific with approximately 41 million people with international migrants making up almost 22 per cent of the population, over a million of those originating in Oceania staying within the region.
The network will identify urgent problems and build programs to respond to and protect the needs of people displaced within and across Oceania.
This will occur through advocacy and raising the voice of the region at international levels, cooperation through the four episcopal conferences sharing information, skills, resources and practices, and connecting the smaller Pacific Island countries and dioceses through the International Catholic Migration Commission and the Dicastery for Integral Human Development at the Holy See.
“The hopes of Oceania are as vast and diverse as the region itself. From the smallest, most remote islands to bustling cities, the voices of the people of God are united in their longing for a Church that listens, heals, and walks alongside them in their journey of faith. We have brought our voice to this Second Assembly of the Synod,” Bishop Randazzo said.
“It is unhelpful when the dominant voice from the north forgets the vulnerable people and region from Oceania.
“Maybe we need to change the paradigm where from Oceania; it is Europe or North America that is on the edge.
“This is how we can lead by example, calling others back to the Christian faith, not because we are dominant or powerful, but because we are walking with our brothers and sisters in Christ.”
FULL STORY
New Network to support Oceania migrant workers, refugees and families announced at Synod gathering (Broken Bay News)
