Pope, UN, Caritas focus on
people on the move on International Migrants Day
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| Central American migrants at a shelter in Mexico.- AFP |
While Pope Francis posted a tweet on International Migrants
Day, the UN and Caritas Europa called for making migration work for all.
By Robin Gomes
As the world marked the United Nations International
Migrants Day on Tuesday, Pope Francis urged host communities to open their
hearts and homes to those arriving in their lands. “Jesus knows well the
pain of not being welcomed. May our hearts not be closed as were
the houses in Bethlehem,” wrote the Pope on his Twitter
account @Pontifex.
The issue of migrants and refugees is a major thrust in the
Catholic Church’s pastoral action, with its own annual World Day of Migrants
and Refugees celebrated for the past 104 years. In 2019, it will be
celebrated on September 29.
According to the UN, nearly 3,400 migrants and refugees lost
their lives worldwide in 2018. “Migration with Dignity” is the theme of
2018’s International Migrants Day.
United Nations
Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issued
a message for the Dec. 18 International Migrants Day, inviting the world
community to take up the path indicated by the recently agreed-upon Global
Compact in Marrakech, Morocco, to make migration benefit all.
Guterres argued that migration is a powerful driver of
economic growth, dynamism and understanding, allowing millions of people to
seek new opportunities, benefiting communities of origin and destination alike.
But when poorly regulated, he warned, migration can
intensify divisions within and between societies, expose people to exploitation
and abuse, and undermine faith in government.
The Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration,
GCM or simply Global Compact, was reached at a crucial intergovernmental
conference in Marrakech, Morocco, December 10 and 11.
With an overwhelming backing from UN member states, the
“landmark step” will “help us to address the real challenges of migration
while reaping its many benefits,” the UN chief said.
“The Compact is people-centered and rooted in
human rights,” he stressed, adding “it points the way toward more legal
opportunities for migration and stronger action to crack down on human
trafficking.”
Caritas Europa
In a separate message, Caritas Europa, a member of Caritas
Internationalis, the global federation of Catholic charities, also called for
making migration work for everyone, saying the adoption of the Global Compact
which received overwhelming support is “a step forward to
addressing one of the most relevant global concerns today in a humane
way.”
Caritas Europa welcomed the agreement as an “important
instrument that proves that nationalism, populism and xenophobia will not
triumph over cooperation and dialogue.”
It said the Global Compact provides a comprehensive
structure for countries to approach migration collaboratively with respect to
human rights and to tackle urgent issues such as safe and legal migration
pathways, the contribution of migrants to development and
the fight against human trafficking and labour exploitation.
The president of Caritas Europa, Msgr. Luc Van Looy said
the agreement highlights the benefits of migration and decreases the potential
fears and challenges associated with it. Awareness that no state can act
alone in the field of migration, he said, “we believe it strikes a good balance
between the respect of migrants’ rights and the interests of receiving
communities.
In dealing with the phenomenon of migration, Caritas Europa
recalled the four-verb approach of Pope Francis: “to welcome,
to protect, to promote and to integrate”,
saying it rings true across the Caritas global confederation.
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