Columbans and the Mission of Accompanying Migrants and Refugees
As Columbans, we consider it essential to our mission today to accompany Migrants and Refugees within the context of dialogue between religions and cultures. This priority arises from a deep sense of solidarity with the most vulnerable and seeks to respond to the call to build bridges of understanding and compassion across human divisions, allowing us “to let the Kingdom of God permeate the lives and cultures of all peoples [proclaiming] the universal message of salvation through witness, ministry, and dialogue, from a place of solidarity with the poor and integrity of Creation.”
Pope Francis calls us to embrace the commitment of accompanying Migrants and Refugees:
- “We are all called to welcome, protect, promote, and integrate those who leave their homeland to save their lives or seek a dignified future.”
- “It is not just about migrants: it is about putting the last first (…) I think especially of migrants, burdened with difficulties and suffering they must endure each day in the sometimes desperate search for a place where they can live in peace and dignity.”
- “Migration should always be a free choice; but in reality, today it often is not. Conflicts, natural disasters, or simply the inability to live a dignified and prosperous life in one’s own land force millions of people to leave.”
- “Millions of migrant workers —especially those in irregular situations—, refugees, asylum seekers, and victims of trafficking. The defense of their inalienable rights, the guarantee of fundamental freedoms, and the respect for their dignity are tasks from which no one can be exempt.”
- “Migrants are not invaders. Their work, their capacity for sacrifice, their youth and enthusiasm enrich the communities that welcome them.”
- “Blessed are those who do not remain distant observers, who do not criticize from afar, but who get involved, offering some of their time, creativity, and resources to ease the suffering of migrants, to rescue, welcome, and integrate them.”
- “An encounter with a migrant is an encounter with Christ.”
- “The globalization of the migration phenomenon must be met with the globalization of charity and cooperation, so that the conditions of migrants may be humanized.”
