The Vatican published this Thursday, May 11, the message of Pope Francis for the 109th World Day of Migrants and Refugees, which will be celebrated on September 24, 2023.
Below is the full message of the Holy Father under the title “Free to choose whether to migrate or stay”:
Dear brothers and sisters:
Today’s migratory flows are the expression of a complex and articulated phenomenon, the understanding of which requires careful analysis of all the aspects that characterize the various stages of the migratory experience, from departure to arrival, including eventual return. With the intention of contributing to this effort to read reality, I have decided to dedicate the Message for the 109th World Day of Migrants and Refugees to the freedom that should always characterize the decision to leave one’s own land.
“Free to leave, free to stay”, recited the title of a solidarity initiative promoted a few years ago by the Italian Episcopal Conference as a concrete response to the challenges of contemporary migration. And from my constant listening to the particular Churches I have been able to verify that the guarantee of that freedom constitutes a widespread and shared pastoral concern.
“The Angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said to him: ‘Get up, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt and stay there until I tell you, because Herod is going to look for the child to kill him'” (Mt 2.13).
The flight of the Holy Family to Egypt was not the result of a free decision, nor were many of the migrations that marked the history of the people of Israel. Migrating should always be a free decision; but, in fact, in many cases, today it is not.
Conflicts, natural disasters, or more simply the impossibility of living a dignified and prosperous life in their own land of origin force millions of people to leave. As early as 2003, Saint John Paul II affirmed that “creating concrete conditions of peace, with regard to migrants and refugees, means seriously committing to defend above all the right not to emigrate, that is, to live in peace and dignity in one’s homeland” ( Message for the 90th World Day of Migrants and Refugees , 3).
“They also took their cattle and the possessions they had acquired in Canaan. So Jacob and all his family came to Egypt ”(Gen 46,6). It was because of a great famine that Jacob with his entire family was forced to take refuge in Egypt, where his son Joseph had ensured their survival.
Among the most visible causes of contemporary forced migrations are persecutions, wars, atmospheric phenomena and misery. Migrants flee due to poverty, fear, despair. To eliminate these causes and finally put an end to forced migration, the common work of all is necessary, each one according to his own responsibilities.
It is an effort that begins by asking ourselves what we can do, but also what we should stop doing. We must strive to stop the arms race, economic colonialism, the usurpation of other people’s resources, the devastation of our common home.
“All the believers stood together and put their belongings in common: they sold their properties and goods, and distributed the money among themselves, according to the needs of each one” (Hch 2,44-45). The ideal of the first Christian community seems far removed from today’s reality! For migration to be a truly free decision, it is necessary to strive to guarantee everyone an equitable participation in the common good, respect for fundamental rights and access to integral human development.
Only in this way will it be possible to offer each one the possibility of living with dignity and fulfillment personally and as a family. It is clear that the main task corresponds to the countries of origin and their rulers, called to exercise good, transparent, honest politics, with a broad vision and at the service of all, especially the most vulnerable.
However, they must be in a position to do so without being deprived of their own natural and human resources, and without external interference aimed at favoring the interests of a few. And where circumstances allow a choice whether to migrate or stay, it must also be ensured that this decision is informed and considered, to prevent so many men, women and children from falling victim to dangerous illusions or unscrupulous traffickers.
“In this jubilee year each of you will return to his property” (Lv 25,13). The celebration of the jubilee for the people of Israel represented an act of collective justice; everyone could “return to the original situation, with the cancellation of all debts, the restitution of the land, and the possibility of once again enjoying the freedom of the members of the people of God” (Catechesis, February 10, 2016 ) .
As we approach the Jubilee of 2025, it is good to remember this aspect of the jubilee celebrations. A joint effort is needed from each of the countries and from the international community so that everyone is guaranteed the right not to have to emigrate, that is, the possibility of living in peace and with dignity in their own land.
It is a right not yet codified, but of fundamental importance, whose guarantee is understood as co-responsibility of all states with respect to a common good that goes beyond national limits. Indeed, because the world’s resources are not unlimited, the development of the economically poorest countries depends on the sharing capacity that is generated among all nations. Until this right is guaranteed —and it is a long road— there will still be many who will have to leave in search of a better life.
“Because I was hungry, and you gave me to eat; I was thirsty, and they gave me drink; I was passing through, and they put me up; naked, and they clothed me; sick, and they visited me; prisoner, and they came to see me” (Mt 25,35-36). These words resonate as a constant exhortation to recognize in the migrant not only a brother or sister in difficulty, but also Christ himself knocking on our door.
For this reason, while we work so that all migration can be the fruit of a free decision, we are called to have the utmost respect for the dignity of each migrant; and this means accompanying and governing the flows in the best possible way, building bridges and not walls, widening the channels for safe and regular migration.
Wherever we decide to build our future, in the country where we were born or elsewhere, the important thing is that there is always a community there willing to welcome, protect, promote and integrate everyone, without distinction and without leaving anyone out.
The synodal path that we have undertaken as a Church leads us to see the most vulnerable people —including many migrants and refugees— as special traveling companions, whom we must love and care for as brothers and sisters. Only by walking together can we go far and reach the common goal of our journey.
Prayer
Oh God, Almighty Father, grant us the grace to actively commit ourselves in favor of justice, solidarity and peace, so that all your children are assured the freedom to choose whether to migrate or stay.
Grant us the courage to denounce all the horrors of our world, to fight against all injustice that disfigures the beauty of your creatures and the harmony of our common home.
Support us with the strength of your Spirit, so that we can show your tenderness to each migrant that you put in our path and spread in hearts and in every environment the culture of encounter and care.