The theme chosen by Pope Francis for the day this year is ‘God walks with his people’ and he has written a Message to mark the event and reflect on the theme. Please see text of the Pope Francis’ message below.
The Council for Immigrants of the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference welcomes Pope Francis’ Message, especially its emphasis on the importance of encounter with migrant people ‘as with every brother and sister in need’, adding that such an encounter is also an encounter with Christ himself, ‘who knocks on our door, hungry, thirsty, an outsider, naked, sick and imprisoned, asking to be met an assisted.’
Bishop Michael Duignan, Chair of the Council for Immigrants, says that the Holy Father’s Message is timely, coming ahead of the second session of the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops in Rome where the participants will again focus on all the members of the Church journeying together, thus allowing, in the Pope’s words ‘the Church to rediscover its itinerant nature as the People of God journeying through history.
Bishop Duignan said, “The Holy Father reminds us that migrants of our time also experience God as their travelling companion. This makes it still more urgent for us a Church to encounter, accompany and embrace those forced to flee from war and oppression as well as those who seek a better future for their families. As Pope Francis states ‘The poor save us, because they enable us to encounter the face of the Lord'”.
Bishop Duignan continued, “It is also important for the Church at all levels to continuously set out and reflect on the great treasure of Catholic Social Teaching in terms of welcoming the stranger and building a sustainable sense of belonging and integration, which always recognising the many challenges our society faces. To that end, I am pleased to say that the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference, through its Council for Immigrants, will be releasing an important Pastoral Letter in the coming weeks on the question of Immigration in Ireland. This will offer an opportunity to Irish Catholics and other Christians – and to all people of goodwill – to explore what hospitality for migrant people means in contemporary Ireland.
“The Holy Father’s Message for this World Day of Migrants and Refugees is call to us all to unite ourselves in prayer for those who have had to leave their homeland in search of dignified living conditions. May we, as a migrant people of faith, journey with them and entrust them and all our needs to the Lord, through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and all the saints,” Bishop Duignan said.