Pope calls for ‘globalisation of charity’ for war refugees This week, Pope Francis said “mere tolerance” toward migrants and asylum seekers is not enough and he called for a “globalisation of charity” towards those fleeing war zones and poverty. “It is necessary to respond to the globalisation of migration with the globalisation of charity and cooperation, in such a way as to make the conditions of migrants more humane,” the Pontiff said in a message to mark the World Day of Migrants and Refugees next January. “Large numbers of people are leaving their homelands, with a suitcase full of fears and desires, to undertake a hopeful and dangerous trip in search of more humane living conditions,” he said in the text of an address he will give on 18 January. “Often, however, such migration gives rise to suspicion and hostility, even in ecclesiastical communities, prior to any knowledge of the migrants’ lives or their stories of persecution and destitution,” he said. The Pontiff, who has vowed to make protecting the poor and marginalised a cornerstone of his papacy, said “achieving mere tolerance that respects diversity and ways of sharing between different backgrounds and cultures is not sufficient”. He called for the creation of “a universal network of cooperation” to fight trafficking and enslavement, and reminded the international community that “no country can singlehandedly face the difficulties associated with this phenomenon”.
Posted on: Sun, 28 Sep 2014 10:09:44 +0000
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