Pope Video: For those fleeing their own countries
In the Pope Video for June 2024 he asks us to pray “that migrants fleeing from war or hunger, forced to undertake journeys fraught with danger and violence, may find welcome and new living opportunities in their host countries”.
Pope Francis says “Dear brothers and sisters, this month I would like us to pray for people fleeing their own countries. The feeling of uprootedness or not knowing where they belong often accompanies the trauma experienced by people who are forced to flee their homeland because of war or poverty.
What is more, in some destination countries, migrants are viewed as threats, with fear.
Then the spectre of walls appears – walls on the earth separating families, and walls in hearts.
Christians cannot share this vision. Whoever welcomes a migrant welcomes Christ.
We must promote a social and political culture that protects the rights and dignity of migrants, a culture that promotes the possibility that they can achieve their full potential, and integrates them.
A migrant needs to be accompanied, promoted, and integrated.
Let us pray that migrants fleeing from war or hunger, forced to undertake journeys fraught with danger and violence, may find welcome and new living opportunities”.
Father Frédéric Fornos S.J., International Director of the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, says: “Migrants fleeing from war and hunger, often survivors of desperate journeys, are the object of political battles. It is important to remember that they are not numbers or statistics; they are people. Our personal and collective histories are marked by migration. Rather than treating migrants like a burden or a problem, we should find solutions based on compassion and respect for their human dignity. This vision is rooted in the Gospel and prayer and the Church’s magisterium reminds us of this.”
Father Fornos recalls Pope Francis’s reflection in ‘Fratelli Tutti’, “The true worth of the different countries of our world is measured by their ability to think not simply as a country but also as part of the larger human family. This is seen especially in times of crisis. Only a social and political culture that readily and freely welcomes others will have a future.”
