migrants

Exploiting a fear of migrants and refugees for political gain increases the possibility of violence and discrimination and does nothing to build a culture of peace, Pope Francis said in his message for World Peace Day 2018.

Bishop Joe S. Vasquez of Austin, Texas, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Migration, told his fellow bishops Nov. 13 that more than 100 U.S. dioceses have participated in the “Share the Journey” campaign launched by Pope Francis Sept. 27.

Pope Francis called on the people of the United States to welcome migrants and urged those who are welcomed to respect the laws of the country during a live video conversation with teenagers from around the world.

Politics as service to the common good and the need to create spaces where citizens and migrants can meet and overcome fear were topics Pope Francis repeatedly returned to Sept. 30 and Oct. 1.

Pope Francis has approved specific “action points” or concrete proposals the Vatican wants to see incorporated into the Global Compact on Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration and the Global Compact on Refugees which goes hand in hand with a much more personalized effort to encourage individual Catholics to meet a migrant or refugee and listen to that person’s story.

Jesuit Father Michael Czerny, undersecretary of the migrant and refugee section of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, spoke at a meeting in Vienna Sept. 4-5 that was part of the U.N. process for developing and adopting a Global Compact for Migration and a Global Compact on Refugees.

Although the Department of Homeland Security will immediately stop accepting applications to the DACA program, current recipients would not be affected until March 5, which Sessions said will “create a time period for Congress to act — should it choose.”

With millions of people fleeing violence, persecution and poverty around the globe, individual nations must expand options that make it possible for migrants and refugees to cross their borders safely and legally, Pope Francis said