Città
del Vaticano, November 21st, 2014
Your Eminences,
Brother Bishops and Priests,
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
1 1.
I am pleased to be with you at the conclusion
of this Congress. I greet the
President, Cardinal Vegliò, thanking him for
his kind words of introduction, and I also extend a fraternal welcome to the
delegates from other Churches and Communities. To all of you I express my
sincere appreciation for your commitment to and solicitude for the men and
women who even today are undertaking the "journey of hope" on the
path of migration. I thank you for all that you are doing. I assure you, and
all those whom you seek to help, of my spiritual closeness.
2. The
final Document from your last meeting five years ago affirmed that
“migration
is… an invitation to imagine a different future, which seeks the development of
the whole human race; this includes then every human being with his or her
spiritual and cultural potential and contribution to a more equitable world
marked by global solidarity and by full respect for human dignity and life”
(n. 3). Today, notwithstanding new developments and the emergence of
situations which are at times painful and even tragic, migration is still an
aspiration to hope. Above all in areas of the world in difficulty, where
the lack of work prevents individuals and their families from achieving
a dignified life, there is a strong drive to seek a better future
wherever that may be, even at the risk of disappointment and failure.
This is caused in great part by the economic crisis which, to different
degrees, is affecting every country in the world.
3. Your
meeting has highlighted the dynamics of cooperation and development in the
pastoral care of migrants. First and foremost you have analyzed the factors
which cause migration, in particular: inequality, poverty, overpopulation, the
growing need for employment in some sectors of the global job market, disasters
caused by climate change, wars and persecution, and the desire of younger people
to relocate as they seek new opportunities. Moreover, the link between
cooperation and development shows, on the one hand, the difference of interests
between states and migrants, and, on the other hand, the opportunities which
derive for both. In effect, receiving nations draw advantages from employing
immigrants for production needs and national prosperity, not infrequently filling
gaps created by the demographic crisis. In turn, the nations which migrants
leave show a certain reduction in unemployment and, above all, benefit from
earnings which are then sent back to meet the needs of families which remain in
the country. Emigrants, in the end, are able to fulfil the desire for a better future
for themselves and their families. Yet we know that some problems also
accompany these benefits. We find in the countries of origin, among other
things, an impoverishment due to the so-called "brain drain", the effects
on infants and young people who grow up without one or both parents, and the risk
of marriages failing due to prolonged absences. In the receiving nations, we
also see difficulties associated with migrants settling in urban neighbourhoods
which are already problematic, as well as their difficulties in integrating and
learning to respect the social and cultural conventions which they find. In
this regard, pastoral workers play an important role through initiating dialogue,
welcoming and assisting with legal issues, mediating with the local population.
In the countries of origin, on the other hand, the closeness of pastoral
workers to the families and children of migrant parents can lessen the negative
repercussions of the parents’ absence.
4. Your reflections, however, have wanted to go even further, to
grasp the
implications
of the Church’s pastoral concern in the overall context of cooperation, development
and migration. It is here that the Church has much to say. The Christian community,
in fact, is continuously engaged in welcoming migrants and sharing with them
God’s gifts, in particular the gift of faith. The Church promotes pastoral
plans for the evangelization and support of migrants throughout their journey
from their country of origin, through countries of transit, to the receiving countries.
She gives particular attention to meeting the spiritual needs of migrants through
catechesis, liturgy and the celebration of the Sacraments.
5. Sadly,
migrants often experience disappointment, distress and loneliness, and I would
add, of emargination. In effect, the migrant worker has to deal with the
problem both of being uprooted and needing to integrate. It is here that the
Church also seeks to be a source of hope: she develops programs of education
and orientation; she raises her voice in defence of migrants’ rights; she
offers assistance, including material assistance to everyone, without
exception, so that all may be treated as children of God. When encountering
migrants, it is important to adopt an integrated perspective, capable of valuing
their potential rather than seeing them only as a problem to be confronted and resolved.
The authentic right to development regards every person and all people, viewed integrally.
This demands that all people be guaranteed a minimal level of participation in the
life of the human community. How much more necessary must this be in the case
of the Christian community, where no one is a stranger and, therefore, everyone
is worthy of being welcomed and supported.
6. The
Church, beyond being a community of the faithful that sees the face of Jesus Christ
in its neighbour, is a Mother without limits and without frontiers. She is the
Mother of all and so she strives to foster the culture of welcome and
solidarity, where no one is considered useless, out of place or disposable. I
wrote of this in my Message for the WorldDay of Migrants and Refugees this
year: “It is less the criteria of efficiency, productivity, social class,
or ethnic or religious belonging which ground that personal dignity, so much as
the fact of being created in God’s own image and likeness (cf. Gen
1:26-27) and, even more so, being children
of
God. Every human being is a child of God! He or she bears the image of Christ!” He is Christ. Migrants,
therefore, by virtue of their very humanity, even prior to their cultural
values, widen the sense of human fraternity. At the same time, their presence
is a reminder of the need to eradicate inequality, injustice and abuses. In that
way, migrants will be able to become partners in constructing a richer identity
for the communities which provide them hospitality, as well as the people who
welcome them, prompting the development of a society which is inclusive,
creative and respectful of the dignity of all.
Dear brothers and sisters, I wish
to renew my gratitude for the service which you
give to the Church and to the
communities and societies to which you belong. I invoke upon you the protection
of Mary, the Mother of God, and Saint Joseph, who themselves experienced the
difficulty of exile in Egypt. I assure you of my prayers and I ask you to pray
for me. To all of you I willingly impart my blessing.
Thank you.
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