His Holiness Pope Francis' Migrants Day Message: Free to migrate or to stay

His Holiness Pope Francis meeting with migrants in Lesbos, Greece, in 2021 

His Holiness Pope Francis releases his message for the 109th World Day of Migrants and Refugees, which focuses on the theme, "Free to choose whether to migrate or to stay."

By Deborah Castellano Lubov

"Free to choose whether to migrate or to stay," is the title of His Holiness Pope Francis’ Message for the 109th World Day of Migrants and Refugees, which the Church observes on the last Sunday of September, which this year falls on September 24.

In his message, the Holy Father recognizes the migratory flows of our times are produced by a complex and varied phenomenon that, to be properly understood, "require a careful analysis of every aspect of its different stages, from departure to arrival, including the possibility of return."  

To contribute to this effort, the Pope said he devoted this year's Message "to the freedom that should always mark the decision to leave one’s native land."

'Free to Leave, Free to Stay'

“Free to leave, free to stay,” the Bishop of Rome recalled, was the title of an initiative of solidarity promoted several years ago by the Italian Episcopal Conference (C.E.I) "as a concrete response to the challenges posed by contemporary migration movements."

“From attentive listening to the Particular Churches, I have come to see that ensuring that that freedom is a widely shared pastoral concern.”

Holy Family's forced flight

The flight of the Holy Family into Egypt, the Pope highlighted, was not the result of a free decision, nor were many of the migrations that marked the history of the people of Israel.  

“The decision to migrate should always be free, yet in many cases, even in our day, it is not.”

"Conflicts, natural disasters, or more simply the impossibility of living a dignified and prosperous life in one’s native land," the Pope observed, "is forcing millions of persons to leave." Fear, desperation, and poverty, he noted, often prompt migrants to search for a better future.

Shared commitment required        

Charity lunch with Ukrainian refugees

Eliminating these causes and thus putting an end to forced migration, the Pope said, calls for "shared commitment on the part of all," and one where we ask not only what we can do, but what we need to stop doing.

"We need to make every effort to halt the arms race, economic colonialism, the plundering of other people’s resources, and the devastation of our common home."

To make migration a choice that is truly free, the Pope said, "efforts must be made to ensure to everyone an equal share in the common good, respect for his or her fundamental rights, and access to an integral human development." 

Only in this way will we be able to offer to each person the possibility of a dignified and fulfilling life, whether individually or within families. 

Protecting the vulnerable

"Clearly, the principal responsibility," the Pope said, "falls to the countries of origin and their leaders, who are called to practice a good politics – one that is transparent, honest, farsighted, and at the service of all, especially those most vulnerable." 

"Where circumstances make possible a decision either to migrate or to stay," the Pope added, "there is a need to ensure that the decision be well informed and carefully considered, in order to avoid great numbers of men, women and children falling victim to perilous illusions or unscrupulous traffickers".

“Until this right is guaranteed – and here we are speaking of a long process – many people will still have to emigrate in order to seek a better life.”

Christ knocks at our door

His Holiness Pope Francis recalled that in migrants, we are not only to see a brother or sister in difficulty, "but Christ Himself, who knocks at our door." 

"Consequently, even as we work to ensure that in every case migration is the fruit of a free decision," he said, "we are called to show maximum respect for the dignity of each migrant; this entails accompanying and managing waves of migration as best we can, constructing bridges and not walls, expanding channels for a safe and regular migration"…

This report was originally published on the Vatican News website. Please click here to read the full text and listen to the report.