Pope Leo XIV says that with their courage and tenacity in the pursuit of happiness, migrants and refugees are “messengers of hope”. Source: CNS.
“Their courage and tenacity bear heroic testimony to a faith that sees beyond what our eyes can see and gives them the strength to defy death on the various contemporary migration routes,” the Pope wrote in his message for the celebration of the World Day of Migrants and Refugees, to be observed on October 4-5 and coinciding with the Jubilee of Migrants.
Migrants and refugees also remind the Church that she, too, is on a journey, and true citizenship is in heaven, he wrote.
“Each time the Church gives in to the temptation of ‘sedentarisation’ and ceases to be a ‘civitas peregrine,’ God’s people journeying towards the heavenly homeland, she ceases to be ‘in the world’ and becomes ‘of the world,’“ the Pope wrote, citing the founder of his religious order, St Augustine.
Pope Leo’s message, which focused on the theme “Migrants, missionaries of hope,” was released at the Vatican on July 25, the feast of St James, the apostle.
“The current global context is sadly marked by wars, violence, injustice and extreme weather events, which force millions of people to leave their homelands in search of refuge elsewhere,” his message said.
“The widespread tendency to look after the interests of limited communities poses a serious threat to the sharing of responsibility, multilateral cooperation, the pursuit of the common good and global solidarity for the benefit of our entire human family,” it said.
“The prospect of a renewed arms race and the development of new armaments, including nuclear weapons, the lack of consideration for the harmful effects of the ongoing climate crisis, and the impact of profound economic inequalities make the challenges of the present and the future increasingly demanding,” the Pope wrote.
“Faced with frightening scenarios and the possibility of global devastation,” he wrote, more people must yearn for a future of peace and respect for the dignity of everyone. “Such a future is essential to God’s plan for humanity and the rest of creation.”
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Migrants, refugees bravely embody the belief that joy is possible, Pope says in message (By Carol Glatz, CNS)
