For those fleeing their own countries

“Let us pray that migrants fleeing from war or hunger, forced to undertake journeys fraught with danger and violence, may find welcome and new living opportunities in their host countries”. This is Pope Francis’ prayer intention for the month of June, presented in a video by the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network.

The video shows the hardships many migrants in different parts of the world face on the journey to a foreign country. “The feeling of uprootedness or not knowing where they belong”, says the Pope, “often accompanies the trauma experienced by people who are forced to flee their homeland because of war or poverty”. He goes on to lament that “in some destination countries, migrants are viewed as threats, with fear”, which is when “the spectre of walls appears — walls on the earth separating families, and walls in hearts”. The Holy Father then proposes another path, insisting that “Christians cannot share this vision” of division, because, he explains, “whoever welcomes a migrant welcomes Christ”. He adds that “we must promote a social and political culture that protects the rights and dignity of migrants, a culture that promotes the possibility that they can achieve their full potential, and integrates them”, because, he affirms, “a migrant needs to be accompanied, promoted, and integrated”. The video goes on to show men and women in their new countries learning useful trades like tailoring, which can help them build a better future for themselves.

Commenting on the plight of migrants, Fr Frédéric Fornos, sj , International Director of the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, said, “It is important to remember that [migrants] are not numbers or statistics; they are people. Our personal and collective histories are marked by migration”, he explained, adding, “Rather than treating migrants like a burden or a problem, we should find solutions based on compassion and respect for their human dignity”.

Available online at www.thepopevideo.org and translated into 23 languages, the video for the prayer intention for June was created and produced by the Pope’s Worldwide Network, in cooperation with La Machi Agency and the Dicastery for Communication.