New Zealand Day of Prayer for
Refugees and Migrants, June 21
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| Poster of Day of Prayer for refigees and Migrants 2020, of New Zealand's Caatholic Church |
The bishops of New Zealand say it is the task of believers
to make efforts to overcome the exploitation of migrants and refugees.
By Robin Gomes
The Catholic bishops of New Zealand are holding their annual
Day of Prayer for Refugees and Migrants on June 21, on a theme inspired by Pope
Francis.
Don't look the other way
The theme of this day is “Where is your brother or sister?”,
taken from the 2013 Apostolic Exhortation of Pope Francis, “Evangelii
Gaudium” (The Joy of the Gospel). The Pope says he has “always been
distressed at the lot of those who are victims of various kinds of human
trafficking”.
The New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference (NZCBC) observes
the Day of Prayer for Refugees and Migrants each year on a Sunday closest to
World Refugee Day, which this yeare falls on June 20. Caritas New Zealand
prepares resources for this day on behalf of the NZCBC.
In Evangelii Gaudium, the Pope quotes the book
of Genesis and challenges us not to look the other way but to recognize our
migrant brothers and sisters who are experiencing exploitation. Migrants
and refugees are part of our community, but they may not always be seen or
heard.
Migrants, refugees missed out
In the context of New Zealand, Catholic communities are
invited to reflect on the post-Covid-19 economic hardships, job losses and
human exploitation to which migrant communities are most vulnerable.
With the COVID-19 pandemic affecting the economy worldwide,
in New Zealand, the government has been quick to offer emergency benefits to
New Zealanders, the bishops note. “However,” they continue, “one big
chunk of the workforce who are missing out are migrant workers.”
They point out that even before the pandemic, migrant worker
exploitation had been a serious problem that even the New Zealand Government
has acknowledged by holding a review.
Pope reaches out
The New Zealand bishops particularly recall Pope Francis'
concern and concrete support of migrants and refugees, when he established the
Migrants and Refugees Section within the Vatican Dicastery for Promoting
Integral Human Development. The Section is tasked with addressing
human trafficking as well as matters regarding migrants and refugees.
Pope Francis acknowledges that the task of overcoming human
exploitation takes “courage, patience and perseverance”, but it is a task that
we all must take part in. He challenges us “to open our eyes, to see the
misery of those who are completely deprived of their dignity and their freedom,
and to hear their cry for help.”
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