Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

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Families Belong Together – A Reflection on a Rally

One of the many rallies held around the nation on June 30th  to protest the separation of families who have crossed the border into the United States occurred in the sleepy village of East Quogue, in the Town of Southampton, NY. Organized by MoveOn.org. during the weeks following the news of the separation of children from parents, this peaceful rally attracted a few hundred people and some local politicians.

On this hot Saturday afternoon attendees gathered in the park carrying home-made signs and flags, and wearing T-shirts and other symbols of disagreement with the separation of children from parents. Surprising to me was that virtually all those present were apparently Caucasian, and that many came as familes with young children. Clearly it was a teaching moment for the parents who could be overheard explaining what it means to protest something, and how to conduct themselves during the speeches being delivered by a victim of the policy, a town official running for re-elction, and the organizers.

The Hamptons rely heavily upon new immigrant laborers for the many restaurants and resorts, as well as for lawn care and construction, among many other work opportunities. Recently, deli’s serving ethnic food have sprung up, and churches are welcoming laborers with services in Spanish. Immigration and other needed services are being offered, as well.  Sadly, housing is a major issue: many were found camping in the woods through the winter months.

It was moving to see the white villagers and, maybe vacationers, out in support of uniting families, but it was concening that the population most affected was absent. Were they all working to keep lawns manicured, meals prepared and served, and homes cleaned on this sweltering Saturday? Were they afraid to gather in public? Maybe it was a combination of these and other motives.  I’m glad we were there to represent ourselves, US citizens who know that our nation is above the the current policies coming out of the White House, and to represent them, the victims of the hate being disseminated by some. ~ by Patricia Krasnausky, President and CEO, Cabirni Eldercare

MSCs Continue to Walk with Students from Parkland, Florida

This week, the courageous and articulate students from the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida returned to class.  They are now much different young people than they were only two weeks ago.  Their outrage continues.  Their advocacy for changes in gun laws continues. Yet, they also seek a return to normalcy, to be teenagers, once again.

But, what their activism has brought about in the two weeks since violence struck their school and forever changed their lives, is nothing short of remarkable.

Cardinal Cupich of Chicago yesterday said, “the nation’s young people are “shaming the adult world into action” on gun violence.  Their voices are a wake-up call that should have been heard years ago.”

“The time for words is over, our children are telling us.  What is now required is action.  It is now up to those we elect to serve the common good to act to stop the rampant gun violence that has turned our schools, churches, theatres and streets into places of slaughter.”

“Our elected officials…must begin the process of walking away from the moral compromises that doom our society to inaction,” he said.   ~ excerpts from National Catholic Reporter

Making an Impact on Corporations

Yesterday, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Inc., one of the largest retailers of its kind in the United States, is taking new steps to curtail the sale of firearms, including ending assault-style rifles and banning the sale of guns to people younger than 21, the company announced.

“Based on what’s happened and looking at those kids and those parents, it move us all unimaginably,” company Chairman and CEO Edward Stack said yesterday on “Good Morning America,” referring to the shooting in Parkland, Florida.

“To think about the loss and the grief that those kids and those parents had, we said, ‘We need to do something,’” Stack, whose father, Dick, started the business 70 years ago, explained.  “And we’re taking these guns out of all our stores permanently.”

When asked whether there is a chance the company will reverse its position on the newly announced ban, Stack replied, “Never. We’ve just decided that based on what’s happened with these guns, we don’t want to be a part of this story and we’ve eliminated these guns permanently.”

Prepared for the Backlash

In addition to the steps Dick’s has taken to improve gun safety and mitigate the harm associated with gun products, more than a dozen companies, ranging from hotel operators to insurance providers, have announced plans to stop offering discounts and cost-saving programs for members of the NRA in light of the Florida shooting.

Students who survived the attack are lobbying for tougher gun laws, and many have demanded companies stop doing business with the NRA.

Discussing the possible repercussions for Dick’s, Stack pointed to the courage of those students, many of whom are responsible for mobilizing and organizing gun control rallies, marches and social media-inspired boycotts.

“When we take a look at what those kids and the parents and the heroes in the school, what they did, our view was if the kids can be brave enough to organize like this, we can be brave enough to take these [assault style weapons] out of here, he said of the guns. “Not everyone will be happy [with our corporate decision].”

~ ABC News

Corporations Pulling Their Ties to the NRA

As of today, the following corporations have altered their business practices and/or corporate relationship or business practices with the National Rifle Association (NRS) as a result

of the Parkland, Florida mass shooting.

Alamo-Enterprise-National Car Rental Group – ending discount programs for NRA members

Allied Van Lines – discontinued their affiliation with NRA.

AVIS – Budget Car Rental Group – ending discount programs for NRA members

Chubb Insurance – discontinuing NRA special programs

Delta Airlines – no more discounted travel for NRA members.  Asked for their name to be removed from the NRA website.

Dick’s Sporting Goods, Inc.  – will no longer sell assault rifles/ raised age for gun buyers to 21

First National Bank of Omaha – discontinued special rates and discounts for NRA members

Met Life Insurance – ending discount program for NRA members

North American Van Lines – no longer will have an affiliation with NRA.

Simply-Safe – discontinuing their existing relationship with the NRA.

Starkey Hearing Technologies – ending discount rates for NRA members

Symantec Cyber Security – ending discounts for NRA members

True Car – ending its car buying service relationship with NRA members

United Airlines – no more discounted travel rates for NRA members

     Walmart  – will no longer sell assault rifles/raised age for gun buyers to 21

Do Not Let Fear Lead to a Refusal to Help Those in Need says Pope Francis

by Cindy Wooden, Catholic News Service

Family members bring up the offertory gifts as Pope Francis celebrates Mass marking the World Day of Migrants and Refugees in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican Jan. 14. (CNS photo/Paul Haring) See POPE-MIGRANTS-MASS Jan. 14, 2018.

Being afraid and concerned about the impact of migration is not a sin, Pope Francis said, but it is a sin to let those fears lead to a refusal to help people in need.

“The sin is to allow these fears to determine our responses, to limit our choices, to compromise respect and generosity, to feed hostility and rejection,” the Pope said on January 14th, celebrating Mass for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees.

While fear is a natural human reaction, he said, “the sin is to refuse to encounter the other, the different, the neighbor, when this is in fact a privileged opportunity to encounter the Lord.”

According to the United Nations, an estimated 258 million people are living outside the country of their birth.  The number includes 26 million refugees and asylum seekers, who were forced to flee their homelands because of war or persecution.

“His invitation ‘Come and see!’ is addressed today to all of us, to local communities and to new arrivals,” the Pope said.  “It is an invitation to overcome our fears so as to encounter the other, to welcome, to know and to acknowledge him or her.”

For the migrants and refugees, he said, that includes learning about and respecting the laws and customs of their host countries.  “It even includes understanding their fears and apprehensions for the future,” he added.

For people in the host countries, he said, it means welcoming newcomers, opening oneself “without prejudices to their rich diversity,” understanding their hopes, fears and vulnerabilities and recognizing their potential.

‘In the true encounter with the neighbor, are we capable of recognizing Jesus Christ who is asking to be welcomed, protected, promoted and integrated?” Pope Francis asked.

“It is not easy to enter into another culture, to put oneself in the shoes of people so different from us, to understand their thoughts and their experiences,” the pope said.  That is one reason why “we often refuse to encounter the other and raise barriers to defend ourselves.”

People in host countries may be afraid that newcomers “will disturb the established order (or) will ‘steal’ something they have long labored to build up,” he said.  And the newcomers have their own fears “of confrontation, judgment, discrimination, failure.”

Both set of fears, the pope said, “are legitimate, based on doubts that are fully comprehensible from a human point of view.”

Sin, he said, enters the equation only when people refuse to try to understand, to welcome, to see Jesus present in the other, especially “the poor, the rejected, the refugee, the asylum seeker.”

~ Cindy Wooden, Catholic News Service

December 18 is International Migrants Day

“Migration has always been with us. Climate change, demographics, instability, growing inequalities, and aspirations for a better life, as well as unmet needs in labor markets, mean it is here to stay.  The answer is effective international cooperation in managing migration to ensure that its benefits are most widely distributed, and that the human rights of all concerned are properly protected.”

~ UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres

2017 Theme: Safe Migration in a World on the Move

Throughout human history, migration has been a courageous expression of the individual’s will to overcome adversity and to live a better life.  Today, globalization, together with advances in communications and transportation, has greatly increased the number of people who have the desire and the capacity to move to other places.

This new era has created challenges and opportunities for societies throughout the world. It also has served to underscore the clear linkage between migration and development, as well as the opportunities it provides for co-development, that is, the concerted improvement of economic and social conditions at both origin and destination.

Migration draws increasing attention in the world nowadays. Mixed with elements of unforeseeability, emergency, and complexity, the challenges and difficulties of international migration require enhanced cooperation and collective action among countries and regions. The United Nations is actively playing a catalyst role in this area, with the aim of creating more dialogues and interactions within countries and regions, as well as propelling experience exchange and collaboration opportunities.

On September 19, 2016 the United Nations General Assembly adopted a set of commitments during its first ever summit on large movements of refugees and migrants to enhance the protection of refugees and migrants. These commitments are known as the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants (NY Declaration). The NY Declaration reaffirms the importance of the international protection regime and represents a commitment by Member States to strengthen and enhance mechanisms to protect people on the move. It paves the way for the adoption of two new global compacts in 2018: the global compact on refugees and the global compact for safe, orderly and regular migration.  ~ United Nations website

 

 

 

 

Women Religious Denounce U.S. Withdrawal from UN Talks on Migrants and Refugees

According to a statement by the United States Mission to the United Nations, the U.S. government withdrew from the talks Dec. 2 because it believes the New York Declaration — a 2016 U.N. declaration leading up to the expected compacts next year — “contains numerous provisions that are inconsistent with U.S. immigration and refugee policies and the Trump Administration’s immigration principles.”

Trump, the mission said, “determined that the United States would end its participation in the Compact process that aims to reach international consensus at the UN in 2018.”

But the Leadership Conference of Women Religious took issue with the president, calling the withdrawal a “misguided decision” that is “yet another example of the president’s attempts to wall off this nation and subvert its values. Furthermore, the withdrawal from the New York Declaration is yet another demonstration of the failure of U.S. leadership in the global community.”

“The world faces an unprecedented global migration crisis,” the LCWR statement said. “More than 66 million people are on the move, more than at any time since World War II.  Some 17.2 million are refugees; most are children. They have been forced from their homes displaced by war, natural disaster, and endemic poverty. These brothers and sisters of ours are quite literally running for their lives.”

The December 4 statement by the association of 1,300 congregational leaders representing approximately 38,800 women religious in the United States went on to say: “The United States has a long history of welcoming immigrants and sheltering refugees. Women religious have been blessed to be able to accompany and serve immigrant and refugee communities across this country and around the world for a very long time.

“We strongly object to any attempt to limit our ability to heed the scriptural command to welcome the stranger and care for our neighbors. Catholic sisters remain committed to welcoming refugees and migrants and will continue to demand that the dignity and rights of all refugees and migrants, regardless of status, are honored.”  ~ by Chris Herlinger for the Global Sisters Report

 

http:/ http://globalsistersreport.org/news/environment-migration/women-religious-bishops-denounce-us-withdrawal-un-talks-migration

Share the Journey – Twenty Action Points

Over the next few weeks, as we continue to Share the Journeywith our migrant and refugee brothers and sisters, the Vatican office on Migrants and Refugees, consulting with various Bishops’ Conferences and Catholic NGOs, has prepared Twenty Action Pointson migrants and refugees. The Twenty Points are grounded on migrants’ and refugees’ needs identified at the grassroots level and on the Church’s best practices. The Points have been approved by the Holy Father.  This week, we will introduce the first three of theTwenty Points.  

Continuing to Share the Journey

Global migration is a major challenge for much of today’s world and a priority for the Catholic Church.  In words and deeds, Pope Francis repeatedly shows his deep compassion for all who are displaced.  Witness his encounters with migrants and refugees on the Islands of Lampedusa and Lesbos.  Witness his call for their full embrace: to welcome, to protect, to promote and to integrate migrants, refugees and victims of human trafficking.

In addition, the Holy Father is guiding the Church to assist the world community in systematically improving its responses to the displaced. The international political community has launched a multilateral process of consultation and negotiations with the goal of adopting two Global Compacts by the end of 2018, one on international migrants and the other on refugees.  In doing so, Twenty Action Points have been formulated. The various Bishops’ Conferences are urged to promote the Points in their parishes and Church organizations with the hope of fostering more effective solidarity with migrants and refugees.

Though grounded in the Church’s experience and reflection, the Twenty Points are offered as valuable considerations to all people of good will who might be willing to implement them and advocate their inclusion in their country’s negotiations.  Leaders and members of all faiths, and organizations of civil society, are welcome to join in this effort.

Welcoming:  Increasing Safe and Legal Routes for Migrants and Refugees

The decision to emigrate should be made freely and voluntarily.  Migration should be an orderly process which respects the laws of each country involved.  To this end, the following points are to be considered:

  1. The collective or arbitrary expulsion of migrants and refugees should be avoided. The principles of non-refoulement should always be respected: migrants and refugees must never be returned to a country which has been deemed unsafe.  The application of this principle should be based on the level of safety effectively afforded to each individual, rather than on a summary evaluation of a country’s general state of security.  The routine application of a list of “safe countries” often fails to consider the real security needs of particular refugees; they must be treated on an individual basis.

  1. Legal routes for safe and voluntary migration or relocation should be multiplied. This can be achieved by granting more humanitarian visas, visas for students and apprentices, family reunification visas (including siblings, grandparents and grandchildren), and temporary visas for people feeling conflict in neighboring countries; by creating humanitarian corridors for the most vulnerable; and by launching private and community sponsorship programs, programs for relocating refugees in communities rather than concentrating them in holding facilities

 

3.  The value of each person’s safety – rooted in a profound respect the the inalienable rights of migrants, asylum seekers and refugees – should be correctly balanced with national security concerns.  This can be achieved through appropriate training for border agents; by ensuring that migrants, asylum seekers and refugees have access to basic services, including legal services; by ensuring protection for anyone fleeing war and violence; and by seeking alternative solutions to detention for those who entere a coutnry without authorization.

 

Protecting:  Defending the Rights and Dignity of Migrants and Refugees

The Church has repeatedly underlined the need for an integral approach to the issue of migration, in profound respect for each person’s dignity and rights and in consideration of the multiple dimensions of each individual.  The right to life is the most fundamental of all rights, and cannot depend on a person’s legal status.  To this end, the following points are suggested:

4. Emigrants must be protected by their countries of origin, authorities in these countries should offer reliable information before departure; should ensure that all channels of emigration are legalized and certified should create a government department for the diaspora; and should offer consular assistance and protection abroad.

    1.  
      1. Immigrants must be protected by their countries of arrival, in order to prevent exploitation, forced labor and human trafficking. This can be achieved by prohibiting employers from withholding employees’ documents; by ensuring access to justice for all migrants, independently of their legal status and without negative repercussions on their right to remain; by ensuring that all immigrants can open a person bank account; by establishing a minimum wage applicable to all workers; and by ensuring that wages are paid at least once a month.
      1. Migrants, asylum seekers and refugees must be empowered to leverage their skills and competencies in order to improve their own wellbeing and the prosperity of their communities. This can be achieved by guaranteeing in-country freedom of movement and permission to return after work abroad; by providing ample access to the means of communications; by involving local communities in the integration of asylum seekers; and by developing programs of professional and social reintegration for anyone who chooses to return to their home country.

      7.  The vulnerability of unaccompanied minor and minors separated from their families must be tackled in accordance with the international Convention on the Rights of the Child.  This can be achieved by seeking alternative solutions to detention for legally underage migrants who enter a country without authorization; by offering temporary custody or foster homes for unaccompanied or separated minor; and by setting up centers  for the identification and processing of minors, adults and families.

    1. All underage migrants must be protected in accordance with the international Convention on the Rights of the Child. This can be achieved through the compulsory registration of all births and by ensuring that underage migrants do not become irregular when they reach adulthood and that they can continue their education.
    1. Access to education should be assured to all underage migrants, asylum seekers and refugees, so that they have access to primary and secondary schooling at the same standard as citizens and independently of their legal status.
    1. Access to welfare should be assured to all migrants, asylum seekers and refugees, respoting their right to health and basic healthcare independently of legal status, and ensuring access to national pension schemes and the transferability of benefits in case of moving to another country,
    1. Migrants should never become a-national or stateless, in accordance to the right to nationality stated by international conventions, and citizen ship should be recognized at birth.
  2. Protecting:  Defending the Rights and Dignity of Migrants and RefugeesThe Church has repeatedly emphasized the need to promote integral human development for migrants, asylum seekers and refugees alongside local residents.  Countries should include migrants, asylum seekers and refugees in their plan for national development.  To this end, the following points are to be considered:

     

    1. The competencies of migrants, asylum seekers and refugees should be valued and developed in countries of arrival by guaranteeing equal access to higher education, specialization courses, apprenticeships and internships, and by validating qualifications obtained elsewhere.

     

    1. the social and professional inclusion of migrants, asylum seekers and refugees within local communities should be supported by recognizing their freedom of movement and their right to choose where to live; by making information available in their languages of origin; by offering language classes and course on local customs and culture; and by granting asylum seekers and refugees the right to work.

     

    1. The integrity and well-being of the family should always be protected and promoted, independently of legal status. This can be achieved by embracing broader family reunification (grandparents, grandchildren and siblings) independently of financial requirements; by allowing reunified family members to work; by undertaking the search for lost family members; by combating the exploitation of minors; and by ensuring, that, if employed, their work does not adversely affect their health or their right to education.

     

    1. 15. Migrants, asylum seekers and refugees with special needs are to be treated just like citizens with the same conditions, guaranteeing access to disability benefits independently of legal status, and enrolling unaccompanied or separated minors with disabilities in special education programs.

     

    1. The funds for international development and humanitarian support, sent to countries which received a significant influx of refugees and migrants fleeing from armed conflict, should be increased, ensure that the needs of both newcomer and resident populations can be met. This can be achieved by funding the establishment and development of institutions for medical, educational and social care in countries of arrival, and by extending financial help and assistance programs to local families in situations of vulnerability.
    2. The right to religious freedom – terms of both belief and practice – should be assured to all migrants, asylum seekers and refugees independently of legal status.

    Integrating: Greater Participation of Migrants and Refugees to Enrich Local Community

    The arrival of migrants, asylum seekers and refugees represents an opportunity for growth as much for local communities as for the newcomers.  The encounter of different cultures is a source of mutual enrichment, since inclusion and participation contribute to the development of societies.  To this end the following points are to be implemented:

18.  Integration as a two-directional process which acknowledges and values the riches of both cultures, should be promoted.  This can be achieved by recognizing the citizenship at birth; by rapidly extending nationality to all refugees, independently of financial requirements or linguistic knowledge (at least for over -50s); by promoting family reunification; and by declaring a one-off period of amnesty and legalization for migrants who have lived in a country for a considerable amount of time.

19.  A positive narrative os solidarity towards migrants, asylum seekers and refugees should be promoted.  This can be achieved by funding intercultural exchange projects; by supporting integration programs in local communities; by documenting and disseminating good practices in integration; and by ensuring that public announcements are translated into the languages spoken by larger numbers of igtants, asylum seekers and refugees.

20. Those who are forced to flee humanitarian crises and are subsequently evacuated or enrolled in assisted repatriation programs must be ensured appropriate conditions for reintegration in their countries of origin.  This can be achieved by increasing the funds assigned to temporary assistance for those affected by humanitarian crises and by developing infrastructure in countries of return, by validating educational and professional qualifications obtained abroad, and by encouraging the rapid reintegration of workers in their countries of origin.

~ Migrants and Refugees Section, Integral Human Development, Vatican City

 

 

Share the Journey – Meet Your Neighbor

When Frances Xavier Cabrini arrived in New York from her home in Italy, her experience mirrored that of many immigrants in this world: she was told to go home.

A house that was promised for her and her sisters by the Archdiocese of New York was no longer available and the archbishop insisted that she return to Italy. She refused. Improvised housing was found and she and her sisters went to work scrambling (even begging) for funds, overcoming hardship after hardship, to ultimately found 67 institutions to serve the poor, the uneducated, the sick, the abandoned and especially the immigrant.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the death of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini whose feast day we celebrate on November 13th. It is no coincidence that the centennial of her death falls this year when Pope Francis launched Share the Journey, a global campaign inviting people around the world to love our immigrant and refugee neighbors, to get to know them because Mother Cabrini is the Patroness of Immigrants.

Meet your Neighbor

Ruth turned her dreams into reality thanks to DACA. What now?

Ruth* takes pleasure in doing simple things other parents may take for granted. One of the most notable is she can drive her kids to soccer practices, school and community services events without worrying about being stopped by law enforcement. But the joy and freedom Ruth experiences from taking her children to their activities may be in jeopardy.

Ruth came to the United States at age nine. Since she arrived, she has always lived in fear of being separated from her family due to her legal status in this country. She was young when she made the U.S. her home and didn’t understand all the legal challenges she would later face. Ruth says she was forced to live in the shadows, not being able to fully socialize with other kids.

As an adult, Ruth’s situation got even worse. She was not able to continue her dream of going to college. In fact, she could not even obtain a simple job or drive, or go to the emergency room without being asked for identification.

When former President Obama introduced DACA, Ruth says her life completely changed. DACA is the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. DACA provides no legal status or government benefits, but does provided recipients with temporary employment authorization to work in the U.S. and receive a reprieve from deportation.

On September 5, the Trump administration announced the DACA program will be terminated in the next six months. The future is uncertain for hundreds of thousands of people like Ruth who came to the U.S. as a child. What will happen next for Ruth?

* Not her real name. To read more of Ruth’s story: https://www.sharejourney.org/stories/ruth-turned-dreams-reality-thanks-daca-now

Cabrini University Senior Tapped for Lead Story for Share the Journey Campaign

Cabrini University Senior Molly Seaman’s article has been chosen to be the lead story for the “Share the Journey Campaign” created by Pope Francis, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Catholic Charities and Catholic Relief Services and will be used to educate people around the world about Mother Cabrini’s Legacy.

Mother Cabrini, she lived for migrants

 Do you know St. Frances Xavier Cabrini? You may know her as the first American saint, others remember her as the founder of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. But how many remember Mother Cabrini as the patron saint of immigrants, a fierce advocate for humans of all skin tones and a humanitarian with a deep passion for promotion the dignity and rights of every person.

Maria Francesca Cabrini was born in 1850 in Italy where she dreamed of becoming a missionary in China. Pope Leo XIII had other plans, however, and sent young Frances not to the East, but to the West, to work among Italian immigrants in New York City.

In this period of our history, Italians were leaving their homeland by the thousands for many of the same reasons immigrants are forced to migrate today: instability, conflict, ties to family. Mother Cabrini’s lifetime as known as the “new immigration” era in which over 3 million Italians made the perilous journey to seek refuge in America. At this time, this was viewed as one of the largest populations shifts in history. Fast-forward to 2017 and we are witnessing a similar displacement of people but at a greater magnitude.

According to Catholic Relief Services, the war in Syria has killed over 400,000 Syrians, and displaced more than 11 million civilians and counting. Millions of people have not only lost their homes but are struggling to retain the promise of a bright future for their children.

Similarly, hundreds of thousands of children, women and families are being forced to flee the Northern Triangle (Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras) due to harsh push factors as gang violence, poverty, unemployment and climate change.

In 1880, Pope Leo desperately urged for the care of the Italian immigrants coming to the United States much like Pope Francis does today. In fact, this September, Pope Francis launched the “Share the Journey” https://www.sharejourney.org campaign in which he invites us all to “Share the Journey” with refugees and migrants around the world. The focus of the campaign is to see through the eyes of others rather than turning a blind eye. In the words of Pope Francis, “Not just to see, but to look. Not just to hear, but to listen. Not just to meet and pass by, but to stop. And don’t just say, ‘what a shame, poor people,’ but allow ourselves to be moved by pity.”

During his visit to the United States to speak to Congress, Pope Francis urged, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” (Mt. 7:12) This rule points us in a clear direction. Let us treat others with the same passion and compassion with which we want to be treated.

In the words of our hero, friend and all fleeing their homes and facing persecution, “Take to heart the interests of the poor immigrants and direct them well when they are on these shores.” ~ St. Frances Xavier Cabrini          

 

Pope Francis Launches Share the Journey Global Campaign

Pope Francis Launches a Global Campaign to Help Migrants and Refugees

Pope Francis has loudly and clearly welcomed migrants, refugees and asylum seekers while expressing his support and gratitude for the Caritas Internationalis’ “Share the Journey” campaign.

Speaking during his weekly General Audience in St. Peter’s Square on Wednesday, the Pope also had special words of welcome for Caritas representatives gathered to officially launch the two-year campaign aimed at activism and awareness-raising about the plight of migrants,

The campaign encourages people to actually meet with migrants and listen to their stories, rather than treat them as mere numbers and statistics imbued with negative stereotypes.

Opening his arms wide in a powerfully symbolic gesture, Francis said, “Christ urges us to welcome our brothers and sisters with our arms truly open, ready for a sincere embrace, a loving and enveloping embrace”.

And pointing to the beautiful Bernini colonnade that encircles St. Peter’s Square, he said our embrace of migrants should mimic the colonnade “which represents mother Church who embraces everyone by sharing in our common journey”.

The Pope thanked Caritas members and other Church organizations for their constant commitment in favor of migrants saying that they are the sign of an “open, inclusive and welcoming Church.”

The campaign launched on Wednesday aims to challenge negative myths and perceptions regarding migrants through websites featuring the stories of individuals, the true impact of immigration and explanations of Church teaching on the culture of encounter.

Caritas Internationalis is asking Catholics to take public action in support of migrants, posting pro-immigrant messages on social media and participating in programs where they can meet migrants and refugees.

In his greetings to all those who work to support and advocate for migrants and refugees the Pope also welcomed a petition which is vying for new legislation on migration “which is more pertinent to the current context”.

After the Audience Pope Francis personally greeted a group of some 50 refugees who were in the Square for the occasion. (from Vatican Radio)

Sharing in the Journey

Pope Francis is being joined by bishops across the U.S. and around the world in launching a global campus to support our brothers and sisters who have fled their homes seeking a decent and safe life for their families. This historic campaign, “Share the Journey” will respond to some of the most desperate of God’s children.

You can help your diocese, parish, school or other affiliate organization participate in the “Share the Journey” campaign along with Pope Francis, the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), Catholic Relief Services (CRS), Catholic Charities USA and the Church’s global charitable network, Caritas Internationalis. Through prayers and acts of compassion and support, you can help shape conversations and actions to answer the Gospel call to love our neighbors.

September 27: The office launch in Rome by Pope Francis.

October 7 – 13: Week of Prayer and Action across the U.S.

 To learn more please visit: http://www.caritas.org/2017/09/media-advisory-pope-francis-will-launch-caritas-share-the-journey

 

 

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