Scalabrinians call for greater integration of migrants

January 11, 2013 - On the occasion of the Catholic Church’s World Day of Migrants and Refugees on Sunday, the Scalabrinaian missionaries have appealed for greater effort "to transform the path of despair of many people.” The Scalabrinians, founded 1887 by Italian Bishop John Baptist Scalabrini of Piacenza, to serve Italian migrants in the United States, have been for the past 125 years at the service of thousands of men and women worldwide facing migration. On the occasion of the Church 99th World Day of Migrants and Refugees on Jan. 13, Scalabrinian Superior General, Fr. Alessandro Gazzola issued a message saying, “all Christians, and moreover we as missionaries for migrants, are part of the "Church that walks with humankind". Quoting United Nations figures he said today there are over 214 million migrants in the world, some 35 million refugees, and countless asylum seekers and internally displaced persons, all of whom are hoping for a better life. He said their quest becomes a commitment, an educational challenge for our civil and religious communities, if you do not want that the path of despair be transformed into a new conflict and social dispute. The Scalabrinians say the issue of migration is not adequately addressed, with problems such as without regular right to work and to be recognized as citizens, the many forms of discrimination, as well as the influence of the economic crisis on the complex phenomenon of human mobility. The religious order urged all Church entities to work in their own particular contexts, for increasing integration and true acceptance of migrants.