51st World Day of Peace: 1st January 2018
We are each called by Pope Francis to to welcome, promote, protect, and integrate migrants and refugees
Date Posted:
29-Dec-2017
UN Photo/Rick Bajornas.NICA ID: 649984. Refugees at Reception Centre in Rome. CC 2.0
'We will open our hearts to the cries of the poor...'
(Chapter Statement)
In his message for the 1st January celebration of World Peace Day, "Migrants and refugees: men and women in search of peace", Pope Francis addresses one of the key themes of his pontificate - the situation of migrants and refugees.
While wishing “peace to all people and all nations”, Pope Francis is particularly conscious of “those who most keenly suffer its absence”. There are over 250 million migrants worldwide, of whom 22.5 million are refugees, searching for “somewhere to live in peace” as a consequence of "war and hunger, or forced by discrimination, persecution, poverty and environmental degradation to leave their homelands".
Pope Francis asks us all in a spirit of compassion to turn a “contemplative gaze” on migrants and refugees, to recognise that we are one human family and that their presence amongst us enriches us all.
We, the Sisters of Mercy of the Parramatta Congregation, are committed to addressing the concerns of migrants and refugees in a spirit of justice, hospitality and compassion.
UN video: 32 girls from 17 countries went to New York City to share their stories of loss, struggle, and most importantly, survival to remind us all that immediate humanitarian aid can be the miracle that millions around the world need.