Pope
meets young refugees from Mideast and Africa
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis’s final engagement in Turkey
was a meeting with a group of around 50 young people that included many
refugees from Syria, Iraq and other countries of the Middle East and Africa.
The youths are being cared for by the local Salesian community in Istanbul. In
his address, the pope assured the young people that he shares their sufferings
and deplored the degrading conditions in which so many refugees are forced to
live, calling it “intolerable.”
Please find below an English translation of his remarks:
Dear Young People,
I have greatly desired
to meet with you, youth from Turkey, Syria, Iraq and other countries of the
Middle East and Africa. You represent hundreds of your peers, many of
whom are exiles and refugees who are helped every day by the Salesians. I
wish to assure you that I share your sufferings; I hope my visit, by the grace
of God, may offer you some consolation in your difficult situation. Yours
is the sad consequence of brutal conflicts and war, which are always evils and
which never solve problems. Rather, they only create new ones.
Refugees, such as yourselves, often find themselves deprived, sometimes for
long periods, of basic needs such as a dignified home, healthcare, education
and work. They have had to abandon not only their material possessions,
but above all their freedom, closeness to family, their homeland and cultural
traditions. The degrading conditions in which so many refugees are forced
to live are intolerable! For this reason, we must do everything possible
to eradicate the causes of this situation. I appeal for greater
international cooperation to resolve the conflicts which are causing bloodshed
in your homelands, to counter the other causes which are driving people to
leave their home countries, and to improve conditions so that people may remain
or return home. I encourage all who are working generously and
steadfastly for justice and peace not to lose heart. I ask political
leaders to always remember that the great majority of their people long for
peace, even if at times they lack the strength and voice to demand it.
Many organizations are doing a great deal for refugees. I am especially
pleased by the good work of so many Catholic groups which offer generous aid to
many in need without discriminating. I wish also to express deep
gratitude to the Turkish authorities for the great efforts they have made in
assisting the displaced, in particular Syrian and Iraqi refugees, and for the
authorities’ tangible commitment in trying to meet their needs. I hope
that the necessary support of the international community may not be lacking.
Dear young people, do not be discouraged. With the help of God, continue
to hope in a better future, despite the difficulties and obstacles which you
are currently facing. The Catholic Church is with you, including through
the invaluable work of the Salesians. The Church, in addition to
other forms of help, also offers you the opportunity to see to your education
and formation. Remember always that God does not forget any of his
children, and that those who are the smallest and who suffer the most are
closest to the Father’s heart.
For my part, together with the whole Church, I will continue to pray to
the Lord, asking him to inspire those in leadership, so that they will not
hesitate to promote justice, security and peace and do so in ways that are
clear and effective. Through her social and charitable organizations, the
Church will remain at your side and will continue to hold up your cause before
the world.
May God bless you all!
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