Pope Leo IV – Migrants are “witnesses of hope” in a devastated world.

111^th. “World Day of Migrants and Refugees” – Pope Leo XIV emphasises the important witness that migrants and refugees offer in a world affected by conflict and inequality in hoping and searching for a better and more peaceful future.

This year, rather than observing on the 24^th. September as usual, the World Day will coincide with the Jubilee of Migrants and of Missions, which takes place on October 04^th. and 05^th. This annual event encourages the faithful, to show support and closeness to the millions of people who are forced to leave their homes and places of origin. According to the United Nations, at the end of 2024, around 123.4 million people were forcibly displaced across the world due to persecution, conflict, violence or other issues.

A desire for peace is essential for humanity –

Pope Leo XIV begins his Message underlining how the world is “faced with frightening scenarios and the possibility of global devastation”.

“The prospect of a renewed arms race and the development of new armaments, including nuclear weapons, the lack of consideration for the harmful effects of the ongoing climate crisis, and the impact of profound economic inequalities make the challenges of the present and the future increasingly demanding”, he explained, adding that these issues have forced millions to leave their homelands.

He points out that the “widespread tendency” to look at “the interests of limited communities” poses a threat to sharing “responsibility, multilateral cooperation, the pursuit of the common good and global solidarity”.

For Pope Leo, “it is important there be a growing desire in people’s hearts for a future of peace and of respect for the dignity of all”. He stresses that “such a future is essential to God’s plan for humanity and the rest of creation”, citing passages from the biblical book of Zechariah emphasising that, as Christians, “we believe and hope in its full realisation, for the Lord is always faithful to His promises”.

Migrants and refugees, witnesses of hope through their stories –

The Pope explains that migrants and refugees thus have an important role to play in showing hope in a better future. For the Catholic Church, “the virtue of hope responds to the aspiration to happiness which God has placed in the heart of every man and woman”; and this search is “certainly one of the main motivations” for migrants, refugees and displaced persons, making them “messengers” and “privileged witnesses of hope”.

“Indeed, they demonstrate this daily through their resilience and trust in God, as they face adversity while seeking a future in which they glimpse that integral human development and happiness are possible”, he says, comparing the experience of the people of Israel described in the Bible.

“In a world darkened by war and injustice, even when all seems lost“, he stresses, “their courage and tenacity bear heroic testimony to a faith that sees beyond what our eyes can see and gives them the strength to defy death on the various contemporary migration routes”.

The importance of welcoming migrants –

At the same time, Pope Leo explains that communities that welcome migrants and refugees can also be “a living witness to hope” as they show “the promise of a present and a future where the dignity of all as children of God is recognised”.

“In this way, migrants and refugees are recognised as brothers and sisters, part of a family in which they can express their talents and participate fully in community life”, he says.

Catholic migrants and refugees can revitalize the Church –

On a spiritual level, Pope Leo highlights that migrants and refugees also remind the Church “of her pilgrim dimension, perpetually journeying towards her final homeland, sustained by a hope that is a theological virtue”. He encourages the Church and its members to be “God’s people journeying towards the heavenly homeland” and avoid the “temptation of ‘sedentarization’” and becoming “of the world”.

In this regard, the Pope believes Catholic migrants and refugees have a special mission in becoming “missionaries of hope in the countries that welcome them, forging new paths of faith where the message of Jesus Christ has not yet arrived or initiating interreligious dialogue based on everyday life and the search for common values”.

“This is a true missio migrantium, a mission carried out by migrants, for which adequate preparation and ongoing support must be ensured through effective inter-ecclesial cooperation”, he says.

“With their spiritual enthusiasm and vitality, they can help revitalize ecclesial communities that have become rigid and weighed down, where spiritual desertification is advancing at an alarming rate”, he says. “Their presence, then, should be recognised and appreciated as a true divine blessing, an opportunity to open oneself to the grace of God, who gives new energy and hope to His Church”.

Team Maverick