Caritas Internationalis, an international confederation of Catholic aid agencies, is launching a “Week of Global Action” as part of its Share the Journey campaign “to make a positive difference to everyone with experience of migration.” The initiative encourages local communities, beginning with parishes, to undertake concrete actions of solidarity, such as sharing lunch with migrants and refugees and speaking out for their rights.
As reported by Vatican Radio, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Archbishop of Manila and President of Caritas Internationalis, remarked that “Migration is a fact of life. But in these recent years, it has become a dramatic international phenomenon. Both Pope Francis and Caritas Internationalis have this advocacy of welcoming and accompanying migrants, first because they are human beings, and through our humane treatment of the migrants, we want to show the world that this is not just a political-economic problem, it is a human problem.” The Share the Journey campaign, which began last September, is inspired by Pope Francis’ call to join the “culture of encounter,” with the goal of “increasing the spaces and opportunities for migrants and local communities to meet, talk, and take action.
His Eminence Cardinal Tagle concluded his remarks by inviting everyone to remember their own histories, to not forget the migrants in their own family histories. “If we only remember how our forefathers were accepted to start a new life in other countries, maybe we would be a bit more open.”
