Search

In Trieste, Italy, on the migratory route to Europe, Pope Francis urged Catholics to look for God in “human misery.” The pontiff asked, “Why, in the face of evil that is rampant … the sufferings of migrants, do we not become scandalized?” in a homily at the end of the 50th Social Week of Catholics.

Catholics in Ethiopia are committed to assisting those forcibly displaced by conflict, the President of the Episcopal Conference told Agenzia Fides. “The Church wants to offer help in the social, psychological, spiritual, and trauma treatment areas,” Cardinal Berhaneyesus Demerew Souraphiel said.

The migration sub-commission of the Spanish Episcopal Conference endorsed a call from Bishops of the Canary Islands to “create a culture of encounter” and protect young migrants. They called for public authorities to establish reception arrangements that foster the integration of migrant minors.

On the tail end of elections in Europe, Bishop Mariano Crociata, President of the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences in the EU, stressed the need for countries in the block to unite to welcome forcibly displaced people and to foster dialogue between governmental authorities and churches.

Human trafficking “is wrong, it is illegal, and it is sinful,” Irish Bishops said in a recent statement that highlighted increased forced migration from Great Britain to Ireland. They urged Catholic parishes to become better informed and to continue responding to and raising awareness of the issue.

The Church in Guinea is offering “Free to Leave or Stay” information sessions for young people at risk of irregular migration to raise awareness of the challenges of such a path, Bishop Raphaël Balla Guilavogui told Agenzia Fides. The Episcopal Conference is also assisting returnees to reintegrate.

U.S. Bishops have condemned a new policy that restricts the opportunity to seek international protection at the country’s southern border. “We are deeply disturbed by this disregard for fundamental humanitarian protections and U.S. asylum law,” said migration lead Bishop Mark J. Seitz.

Mexican Bishops have said a new migration directive from the U.S. Administration allows for “arbitrary deportations without any guarantee for asylum claiming.” A declaration from the Episcopal migration commission urged authorities to ensure that border management respects human rights and dignity.

Global solutions are needed to protect refugees, said Archbishop Stefan Hesse, head of the German Episcopal migration commission, following a trip to Kenya. “Refugee movements challenge us globally," he stressed, while lifting up the work of the Church in Kenya to welcome and promote refugees.