Vatican City, 21 February 2017 / 8:30 a.m. (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis said on Tuesday that immigrants should be protected, especially by enacting a just law to protect those who have been forced to flee. said it is our duty to protect the dignity of From dangerous or inhumane situations.
On February 21, the Pope said, “It is a duty that no one can waive, to defend their inalienable rights, to secure their fundamental freedoms and to respect their dignity.” .
“Protecting these brothers and sisters is a moral imperative and leads to the adoption of international and national legal instruments. Legal instruments must be clear and relevant. To make far-reaching political choices.”
It can take time, but migrants are a particularly vulnerable population, and humanitarian programs to combat trafficking need to be implemented in a timely manner.
Pope Francis addressed participants at the 6th International Forum on Migration and Peace in the Vatican. The conference, taking place February 21-22, is titled “Integration and Development: From Reaction to Action.”
It was organized by the Vatican’s Ministry for Integrated Human Development, the Skalabrini International Migration Network (SIMIN) and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation.
In his speech, Francis said the current millennium would be marked by migration involving “almost every region of the world.” The coercive nature of the phenomenon “amplifies the urgency for a coordinated and effective response” to the challenge, he added.
“Unfortunately, conflict, natural disasters, persecution, climate change, violence, extreme poverty and inhumane living conditions in most cases compel this movement,” he said.
This is why it is more necessary than ever to affirm the dignity of immigrants as human beings.
During the conference, Pope Francis heard the testimony of three people who had emigrated from their homeland to a new country and their families.
A woman, her husband, and young son were immigrants from Eritrea. They fled across the Red Sea to Yemen, but later fled to Jordan because of the war, and once again faced “perilous conditions” on their journey to Italy. Lampedusa island.
After sharing their stories, the women said that other asylum-seekers would not have to “risk their lives in the hands of traffickers” and not have to cross deserts or seas. I made a “heartfelt request” to Pope Francis.
Another woman told me the story of when she moved to Chile in 1997. She was a professor in her native Peru, but when she arrived in Chile, she was forced to do domestic work on weekends to live and sleep in metro stations. when she no longer has a place to live.
She said she wanted to help people in their situation after seeing fellow migrants arrive at a subway station one day.
“I believe this inspiration is God’s providence,” she said. Because shortly after she went to the parish of Santiago, the priest there invited her to become the director of the Center for Immigration Integration they had set up.
She has now worked there since 2000, helping provide a range of services to immigrants, including health care, food, job training, psychological and religious support.In the past 17 years, 70,000 people More than half of the women have come to Chile as migrants to rebuild their lives, the woman said, more than half of them passing through the center she directs.
A third family was Italian but has lived in Canada for over 50 years. The brother immigrated to Canada when she was only 14 and joined her father’s construction business to save money for the rest of the family to eventually join them.
“We are truly blessed as immigrants who went to Canada,” said the sister of the family. We have realized the universal dream of every migrant: to realize the dream of providing a home, a better life.”
For the past 40 years, they have volunteered for the St. Charles Missionary Society, also known as the Scarabrinians, to help fellow immigrants.
After hearing their testimony, Pope said in his speech four words: welcome, protect, facilitate and integrate, to describe what our common response to the contemporary challenge of immigration should be. was used.
Welcoming immigrants requires an attitude of rejection “ultimately self-centered” to “overcome indifference and counter fear with a generous approach that welcomes those who knock on our doors.” must change, he said.
A responsible and dignified welcome begins with providing decent and adequate shelter, he said.
Mass gatherings of refugees and asylum-seekers, such as in camps, have increased, not lessened, the problem, he said, and broader programs that emphasize personal encounters appear to have had better results. pointed out that it looks like
Recognizing the fact that immigrants are particularly vulnerable to exploitation, abuse and violence, we protect immigrants when we enact fair laws, referring to what Pope Benedict XVI had said earlier. he said.
The Pope said that according to the social doctrine of the Church, development is “the undeniable right of every human being.”
Development therefore “ensures the conditions necessary for its performance, provides equitable access to basic goods for all, and provides the possibilities for choice and growth, both in personal and social situations. must be ensured by doing
He said this requires a concerted effort by all, with special emphasis on the political community, civil society, international and religious institutions.
In terms of integration, Francis emphasized that it is not the same as ‘assimilation’ or ‘incorporation’, but rather a ‘two-way process’. He said this means joint approval is required on the part of both the immigrant and the receiving country.
We must beware of cultures that “superimpose” one culture on another, he said, and also warned against “mutual isolation” that “dangerously risks creating a ghetto”.
Above all, the Pope said, policies should favor family reunification, but those arriving in a new country should “above all respect the laws of that country and close themselves off from the culture and traditions of the receiving country.” We have an obligation not to do so,” he stressed.
By welcoming, protecting, promoting and integrating, we discover the Divine Value of Hospitality. offered to Christ Himself.”
And in the duty of solidarity, he said, we will find an antidote to a “disposable culture,” and that “solidarity is about understanding the needs of our brothers and sisters in trouble and meeting those needs.” It comes precisely from the ability to take responsibility for,” he added. ”
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