His Holiness Pope Francis: An encounter with a migrant is an encounter with Christ

In his message for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees, His Holiness Pope Francis invites us to see migrations as a sign of the times and as a symbol of the Church’s pilgrimage throughout history.

By Linda Bordoni

Message of His Holiness Pope Francis for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees (AFP or licensors)

“See in the migrants of our time, as in those of every age, a living image of God’s people on their way to the eternal homeland,” writes Pope Francis in his 2024 Message for the 110th World Day of Migrants and Refugees.

The World Day, celebrated annually on 24 September, is a call to believers to show support and closeness to the millions of men, women and children who are forced to leave their homes. The current global estimate is that there were around 281 million international migrants in the world in 2020, which equates to 3.6 per cent of the global population, and that number continues to rise.

Pointing out that God not only walks with His people, but also within them, the Pope invites us all to walk in a “synodal” way - in the Church and in the world - in order to move forward on our own pilgrimage toward the heavenly homeland.

God walks with his people 

The message's title, “God walks with His people," immediately points to the synodal dimension the Pope constantly invites the Church and the people of God to live every day and in every moment.

Recalling the introduction to the synthesis report released at the conclusion of the First Session of the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on Synodality last October, His Holiness Pope Francis writes, “Synodality is mainly presented as a joint journey of the People of God” that allows the Church “to rediscover its itinerant nature, as the People of God journeying through history on pilgrimage, 'migrating', we could say, toward the Kingdom of Heaven.”

Thus, as he so often does, the Pope calls us to recognize the Lord present in the millions of people who are forced to migrate due to conflict, persecution, poverty, and the climate crisis, “as a living image of God’s people on their way to the eternal homeland.”

Journeys of hope

“Their journeys of hope remind us that 'our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ',” he says.

“Their journeys of hope remind us that our citizenship is in heaven.”…

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