Food for Thought

Oct 24, 2014

A big theme in the papacy of Pope Francis is immigration. The Pope, a child of immigrants, has emphasized the topic as a main issue that the church needs to respond to, as wars, persecution and economic conditions lead many families and individuals to flee from their homelands.

“Contemporary movements of migration represent the largest movement of individuals, if not of peoples, in history,” Pope Francis said in a recently issued message.

The message is for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees to be held Jan. 18, 2015. Pope Francis said, “Migrants and refugees are not pawns on the chessboard of humanity. They are children, women and men who leave or who are forced to leave their homes for various reasons, who share a legitimate desire for knowing and having, but above all for being more.”

As a church that “accompanies migrants and refugees on their journey,” the Pope said, we need to seek to understand the causes of migration and work “to overcome its negative effects and to maximize its positive influence on the communities of origin, transit and destination.”

He said collaboration and compassion also must enter into our Christian attitude toward migrants.