#PopeFrancis "loving Jesus Christ, adoring him and love him, especially in the poorest and abandoned" FULL TEXT + Video
FULL TEXT Google Translation - will be replaced with Official Translation:
Dear brothers and sisters, I greet you with joy at your meeting and thank the Cardinal President for the words to turn me on behalf of everyone. I want to thank you very much for your commitment in recent years to many migrant and refugee sisters and refugees who are knocking at Europe's doors in search of a safer place and a more worthy life. Faced with the massive, complex and varied migratory flows that have put in crisis the migration policies adopted so far and the instruments of protection enshrined in international conventions, the Church intends to remain faithful to its mission: that of "loving Jesus Christ, adoring it and love him, especially in the poorest and abandoned; Of course, migrants and refugees are certainly among them "(Message for the World Migrant and Refugee Day 2015: Lessons II, 2 [2014], 200).
The motherly love of the Church towards these brothers and sisters demands to manifest itself concretely at all stages of migratory experience, from departure to journey, from arrival to return, so that all ecclesial local realities along the route are the protagonists of ' only mission, each according to their own possibilities. Recognizing and serving the Lord in these members of his "people on the go" is a responsibility that unites all particular Churches in profiting from a constant, coordinated and effective commitment. Dear brothers and sisters, I do not hide my concern in the face of signs of intolerance, discrimination and xenophobia in different regions of Europe. They are often motivated by distrust and fear of each other, the other, the stranger. I am worried more and more the sad fact that our Catholic communities in Europe are not free from these defense and rejection reactions, justified by a not specified "moral duty" to preserve the original cultural and religious identity.
The Church has spread to all continents through the "migration" of missionaries who were convinced of the universality of the message of salvation of Jesus Christ, intended for men and women of all cultures. In the history of the Church there are no temptations of exclusivity and cultural encirclement, but the Holy Spirit has always helped us to overcome them, guaranteeing a constant openness to the other, considered as a concrete possibility of growth and enrichment.
The Spirit, I am sure, also helps us today to maintain a confident opening attitude, which allows us to overcome every barrier, to overcome each wall.
In my constant listening to the particular Churches in Europe, I felt a deep discomfort in the face of the massive arrival of migrants and refugees. Such discomfort must be acknowledged and understood in the light of a historic moment marked by the economic crisis, which left deep wounds. This discomfort has also been exacerbated by the scope and composition of migratory flows, the substantial inadequacy of host societies and often inadequate national and Community policies. But the discomfort is also indicative of the limits of the processes of European unification, of the obstacles with which to confront the concrete application of the universality of human rights, of the walls against which the integral humanism which is one of the most beautiful fruits of civilization European. And for Christians all this is to be interpreted, beyond laicist immanentism, in the logic of the centrality of the human person created by God, unique and unrepeatable.
From an exquisite ecclesiological perspective, the arrival of so many brothers and sisters in faith offers Churches in Europe a greater opportunity to fully realize their catholicity, a constituent element of the Church we confess every Sunday in the Creed. Moreover, in recent years, many particular Churches in Europe have been enriched by the presence of Catholic migrants who have brought their devotions and their liturgical and apostolic enthusiasm.
From a mischiological point of view, contemporary migratory flows constitute a new missionary "frontier", a privileged opportunity to announce Jesus Christ and his Gospel without moving from his own environment, to concretely testify the Christian faith in charity and in deep respect for other expressions religious. The meeting with migrants and refugees from other confessions and religions is a fertile ground for the development of a genuine and enriching ecumenical and interreligious dialogue.
In my Message for the World Migrant and Refugee Day next year I highlighted how the pastoral response to contemporary migration challenges should be articulated around four verbs: welcome, protect, promote, integrate. The verb welcomes then translates into other verbs such as widening the legal and safe entry routes, offering a first adequate and decent accommodation and securing for everyone personal security and access to basic services. The verb to protect is specified in providing reliable and certified information before leaving, defending the fundamental rights of migrants and refugees irrespective of their migratory status and watch over the most vulnerable, which are children and girls. Promoting means essentially ensuring conditions for the integral human development of all, migrants and indigenous people. The integrating verb translates into opening intercultural encounters, encouraging mutual enrichment, and promoting active citizenship paths.
In the same Message I mentioned the importance of the Global Pact, which States have pledged to draft and approve by the end of 2018. The Migration and Refugee Section of the Office for Integrated Human Development has prepared 20 action points that Local churches are invited to use, supplement and deepen in their pastoral care. These points are based on "good practices" that characterize the Church's tangible response to the needs of migrants and refugees. The same points are useful for the dialogue that various ecclesiastical institutions may have with their governments in view of Global Pacts. I invite you, dear directors, to know these points and to promote them at your Bishops' Conferences.
The same points of action also conform to an articulated paradigm of the four verbs mentioned above, a paradigm that could serve as a measure of study or of verifying pastoral practices in local churches, in view of an up-to-date and enriching update. Communion in reflection and action is your strength, because when you are alone, obstacles seem much larger. Your voice is always timely and prophetic, and above all it is preceded by a coherent work and inspired by the principles of Christian doctrine..
Renewing my thanks for your great commitment in a complex and timely pastoral pastoral work, I assure you of my prayer. And you too, please do not forget to pray for me. Thank you. Google Translate for Business:Translator ToolkitWebsite Translator
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