(27 Nov 09 - RV) Pope Benedict XVI says immigrant children must be fully integrated
into their new societies and protected from the risks of exploitation. Pope Benedict
made the appeal in a message published Friday to mark the church's World Day for Migrants
and Refugees, which is celebrated January 17. We have this report...
MESSAGE
OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI FOR THE 96th WORLD DAY OF MIGRANTS AND REFUGEES
(2010) Theme: Minor migrants and refugees Dear Brothers and
Sisters, The celebration of the World Day of Migrants and Refugees once again gives
me the opportunity to express the Church's constant concern for those who, in different
ways, experience a life of emigration. This is a phenomenon which, as I wrote in the
Encyclical Caritas in Veritate, upsets us due to the number of people involved and
the social, economic, political, cultural and religious problems it raises on account
of the dramatic challenges it poses to both national and international communities.
The migrant is a human person who possesses fundamental, inalienable rights that must
be respected by everyone and in every circumstance (cf. n. 62). This year's theme
– “Minor migrants and refugees” – touches an aspect that Christians view with great
attention, remembering the warning of Christ who at the Last Judgement will consider
as directed to himself everything that has been done or denied “to one of the least
of these” (cf. Mt 25:40, 45). And how can one fail to consider migrant and refugee
minors as also being among the “least”? As a child, Jesus himself experienced migration
for, as the Gospel recounts, in order to flee the threats of Herod, he had to seek
refuge in Egypt together with Joseph and Mary (cf. Mt 2:14). While the Convention
on the Rights of the Child clearly states that the best interests of the minor shall
always be safeguarded (cf. Art. 3, 1), recognizing his or her fundamental human rights
as equal to the rights of adults, unfortunately this does not always happen in practice.
Although there is increasing public awareness of the need for immediate and incisive
action to protect minors, nevertheless, many are left to themselves and, in various
ways, face the risk of exploitation. My venerable Predecessor, John Paul II, voiced
the dramatic situation in which they live in the Message he addressed to the Secretary
General of the United Nations on 22 September 1990, on the occasion of the World Summit
for Children. “I am a witness of the heart-breaking plight of millions of children
on every continent. They are most vulnerable, because they are least able to make
their voice heard” (L’Osservatore Romano, English edition, 1 October 1990, p. 13).
I warmly hope that proper attention will be given to minor migrants who need a social
environment that permits and fosters their physical, cultural, spiritual and moral
development. Living in a foreign land without effective points of reference generates
countless and sometimes serious hardships and difficulties for them, especially those
deprived of the support of their family. A typical aspect of the migration of
minors is the situation of children born in the host country or of those who do not
live with their parents, who emigrated after their birth, but join them later. These
adolescents belong to two cultures with all the advantages and problems attached to
their dual background, a condition that can nevertheless offer them the opportunity
to experience the wealth of an encounter between different cultural traditions. It
is important that these young people be given the possibility of attending school
and subsequently of being integrated into the world of work, and that their social
integration be facilitated by appropriate educational and social structures. It should
never be forgotten that adolescence constitutes a fundamental phase for the formation
of human beings. A particular category of minors is that of refugees seeking asylum,
who, for various reasons, are fleeing their own country, where they are not given
adequate protection. Statistics show that their numbers are increasing. This is therefore
a phenomenon that calls for careful evaluation and coordinated action by implementing
appropriate measures of prevention, protection and welcome, as set forth in the Convention
on the Rights of the Child (cf. Art. 22). I now turn in particular to parishes
and to the many Catholic associations which, imbued with a spirit of faith and charity,
take pains to meet the needs of these brothers and sisters of ours. While I express
gratitude for all that is being done with great generosity, I would like to invite
all Christians to become aware of the social and pastoral challenges posed by migrant
and refugee minors. Jesus' words resound in our hearts: “I was a stranger and
you welcomed me” (Mt 25:35), as, likewise, the central commandment he left us: to
love God with all our heart, with all our soul and with all our mind, but together
with love of neighbour (cf. Mt 22:37-39). This leads us to consider that any of
our concrete interventions must first be nurtured by faith in the action of grace
and divine Providence. In this way also hospitality and solidarity to strangers, especially
if they are children, become a proclamation of the Gospel of solidarity. The Church
proclaims this when she opens her arms and strives to have the rights of migrants
and refugees respected, moving the leaders of Nations, and those in charge of international
organizations and institutions to promote opportune initiatives for their support.
May the Blessed Virgin Mary watch over us all and help us to understand the difficulties
faced by those who are far from their homeland. I assure all those who are involved
in the vast world of migrants and refugees of my prayers and cordially impart to them
the Apostolic Blessing. From the Vatican, 16 October 2009.