Cardinal Tagle: Pope shows us refugees are more than
numbers
(Vatican Radio) Cardinal
Louis Antonio Tagle, President of Caritas Internationalis, urges us to remember
that refugees are more than numbers or statistics.
Reacting to Pope Francis’
visit to Lesbos on Saturday, Cardinal Tagle told Vatican Radio that he is sure
many people have been touched by the Pope's words and actions. He said it
reminded him of a trip he himself made last October to visit refugees in
Idomini, Greece, where he noticed “how much the people, even the non-Christians,
appreciated the love, humanity, and concern the Church has been extending to
them.”
Listen to Vatican Radio’s
Alessandro Gisotti speaking with Cardinal Tagle about the Pope’s symbolic trip
to Lesbos.
Cardinal Tagle spoke
positively of the visit’s impact, noting how it had no agenda. “There is no
effort to win or convince people to become Christians or to give us something
in return for anything good being given. This is pure, sincere love. And that
is the best testimony and the best witness to God, who is love.”
The Holy Father, he says, was
also very "touched and confirmed in his faith."
Refugees, volunteers can
teach us lessons "about being human"
“I thought we were the ones
giving to the people. But it is the refugees and also the volunteers who teach
us lessons about being human, about being dignified, and about being hopeful,”
the Cardinal adds.
In light of Pope Francis’
call for mercy in the Jubilee year, Cardinal Tagle believes that actions are
merciful when our hearts “see human beings” first. “The Holy Father, and others
working in those camps are showing to the world that the external action, the
work, is important but it must come from a merciful heart.” The trip, he says,
reminds us that the refugees and migrants “are not just numbers and statistics.
Our hearts must see human beings in them, so the work is really a merciful act.
It’s not just some sort of obligation but really an act of compassion- It is ‘I
see a brother, I see a sister, I see a neighbour.’”
Service to those in need
can replace "fear of the other"
When asked if he thinks this
visit will awaken the hearts and minds of Europeans, Cardinal Tagle expresses
hope that the “fear of migrants” will be diminished. “Fear is often baseless,
with no foundation,” he says. “When you ask people who are afraid of accepting
some of the migrants and refugees if they have encountered a refugee or a
migrant first-hand, they say no, they have not. But when you do encounter them,
you see that children are just like any children who are hungry and get tired.
And you see that mothers and fathers running away from war are just like our
own fathers and mothers who long for a peaceful life for their children. With
this, hopefully the fear will disappear and diminish, and we will see a way by
which we can be of service to each other.”
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