Pope addresses participants of Jesuit migration
conference
(Vatican Radio) The important
work of ministering to migrants and refugees was at the heart of Pope
Francis’ address on Saturday to members of the European Confederation
and World Union of Jesuit Alumni and Alumnae.
The Jesuit group had been
participating in a 14-16 September conference in Rome entitled “Global
Migration and Refugee Crisis: Time to Contemplate and Act”.
Please find the
official translation of Pope Francis’ address below:
Address of His Holiness
Pope Francis
To Members of the European
Confederation
And World Union of Jesuit
Alumni and Alumnae
Saturday 17 September 2016
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Members of the European
Confederation and of the
World Union of Jesuit Alumni
and Alumnae,
I am pleased to receive you
today as part of your conference on migration and the refugee crisis.
Graduates of Jesuit schools, you have come to Rome as “men and women for
others” to explore on this occasion the roots of forced migration, to
contemplate your responsibility in response to the current situation and to be
sent forth as promoters of change in your home communities.
Tragically, more than
sixty-five million persons are forcibly displaced around the globe. This
unprecedented number is beyond all imagination. The displaced population
of today’s world is now larger than the entire population of Italy! If we
move beyond mere statistics, however, we will discover that refugees are women
and men, boys and girls who are no different than our own family members and
friends. Each of them has a name, a face, and a story, as well as an
inalienable right to live in peace and to aspire to a better future for their
sons and daughters.
You have dedicated your world
association to the memory and example of Father Pedro Arrupe, who was also the
founder of the Jesuit Refugee Service, the organization that has been
accompanying you during this past week in Rome. More than thirty-five
years ago, Father Arrupe was moved to act in response to the plight of the
South Vietnamese boat people who were exposed to pirate attacks and storms in
the South China Sea, while trying desperately to flee from violence in their
homeland. Sadly, the world today still finds itself embroiled in
countless conflicts. The terrible war in Syria, as well as civil
conflicts in South Sudan and elsewhere throughout the world, can seem
irresolvable. This is precisely why your gathering “to contemplate and
act” on the issue of refugees is so important.
More than ever today, as war
rages across God’s creation, as record numbers of refugees die trying to cross
the Mediterranean Sea, and refugees spend years and years languishing in camps,
the Church needs you to draw on the bravery and example of Father Pedro
Arrupe. Through your Jesuit education, you have been invited to become
“companions of Jesus” and, with Saint Ignatius Loyola as your guide, you have
been sent into the world to be women and men for and with others. At this
place and time in history, there is great need for men and women who hear the
cry of the poor and respond with mercy and generosity.
At the close of World Youth
Day in Krakow a few weeks ago, I told the youth gathered there to be
brave. As graduates of Jesuit schools, you also must know how be brave in
responding to the needs of today’s refugees. It will help you to recall
your Ignatian roots as you address the problems experienced by refugees.
You must offer the Lord “all your liberty, your memory, your understanding
and your entire will” as you continue to understand the causes of forced
migration and serve refugees in your countries.
Throughout this Year of
Mercy, the Holy Door of Saint Peter’s Basilica has remained open as a reminder
that God’s mercy is offered to all those in need, now and always.
Millions of the faithful have made the pilgrimage to the Holy Door here and in
churches throughout the world, recalling that God’s mercy lasts forever and
reaches out to all. Also with your help, the Church will be able to
respond more fully to the human tragedy of refugees through acts of mercy that
promote their integration into the European context and beyond. And so, I
encourage you to welcome refugees into your homes and communities, so that
their first experience of Europe is not the traumatic experience of sleeping
cold on the streets, but one of warm human welcome. Remember that
authentic hospitality is a profound gospel value that nurtures love and is our
greatest security against hateful acts of terrorism.
I urge you to draw on the
joys and successes that your Jesuit education has given you by supporting the
education of refugees throughout the world. It is a disturbing truth that
less than fifty percent of child refugees have access to primary
education. Unfortunately, that number drops to twenty-two percent for
adolescents enrolled in secondary schools and less than one percent who have
access to a university education. Together with the Jesuit Refugee
Service, put your mercy in motion and help transform this educational
reality. In doing so, you will build a stronger Europe and a brighter
future for refugees.
Sometimes we can feel that we
are alone as we try to put mercy into action. Know, however, that you join your
work with that of many ecclesial organizations which work for humanitarian
causes and which dedicate themselves to the excluded and marginalized.
Yet more important, remember that the love of God accompanies you in this work.
You are God’s eyes, mouth, hands and heart in this world.
I thank you for stepping into
the difficult issues involved in welcoming refugees. Many doors have been
opened for you through your Jesuit education while refugees find many doors
closed to them. You have learned much from the refugees you have met. As
you leave Rome and return home, I urge you to help transform your communities
into places of welcome where all God’s children have the opportunity not simply
to survive, but to grow, flourish and bear fruit.
And as you persevere in this
faithful work of providing welcome and education for refugees, think of the
Holy Family — Mary, Joseph, and the Child Jesus — on their long journey to
Egypt as refugees, fleeing violence and finding refuge among strangers.
Remember as well the words of Jesus: “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I
was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me” (Mt 25:35).
Take these words and gestures with you today. May they bring you
encouragement and consolation. As for me, assuring you of my prayers, I
ask you also, please, do not forget to pray for me.
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