Caritas organisations around the world are organizing a week of shared meals and activities with migrants and refugees around World Refugee Day. ‘Set some time aside to share a a meal with a migrant or refugee, spend some time together, listen to his or her story’. This is the invitation made by Caritas organizations across the world to all men and women of goodwill as part of the ongoing “Share the Journey” campaign that aims to promote dialogue and understanding between communities and migrants and refugees.
Reinforcing the campaign, Caritas is promoting a “Global Week of Action” from 17-24th June with events and initiatives to help people really ‘get in touch’ and take action as Pope Francis appealed, when he launched the “Share the Journey” campaign in September 2017. As reported by Vatican radio, Michel Roy is the President of Caritas Internationalis said, “ The Pope continuously pushes this “culture of encounter” but explained that specific moments are needed to give extra strength to the momentum that has been generated. That’s why, Roy, said, Caritas has promoted this Global Week of Action to take place around the 21st June, the day marking World Refugee Day. In the week around that date the Caritas family invites us to meet migrants in a special way through sharing a meal. Why sharing a meal? Because sharing a meal is an opportunity to meet. When we have a meal at home it’s the moment when the family speaks.”
Michel Roy said that Caritas organizations are on the ground with a series of initiatives and meals, but people are also encouraged to take their own initiative: “everything is possible!” What Caritas wants with this week of action and with the campaign, Roy said, “is to help humanity: this globalized world means an increased circulation of people and of goods, and this is not going to change”.
