Migrants and Refugees: Putting the vulnerable at the center

By Benedict Mayaki, SJ

“But what do you think it means to put the most vulnerable at the center?”

Pope Francis posed this question in the Migrants & Refugee Section's video released on Tuesday, which highlights the plight of the many migrants and refugees, displaced persons and victims of trafficking.

“In the future, no one should be excluded,” the Holy Father insisted, calling on everyone to “bring to the center all those who live on the peripheries” – both physical and existential.

Vulnerable at the center

The video features several reflections on what it means to put the most vulnerable at the center.

It means “putting the Gospel at the center and understanding that at any point, each one of us could find ourselves at any moment in a situation of marginalization, weakness or vulnerability.”

Another reflection notes that it includes “being united by giving the same opportunities to everyone.”

The story of Ana

The story of Ana Alicia Semprún Faria, a Venezuelan mother of three children, is also featured in this video. Together with her husband, Ana had to flee the situation of crisis in her country to Ecuador, in search of a better life for her children.

After settling into a new life in Ecuador, Ana has set up “Psicomamá”, a service she offers to the community which provides early stimulation, speech and occupational therapy, as well as cognitive stimulation to people in need.

“The story of our family has been rebuilt here. My children have grown up here. I have made new memories here. Here, we are rebuilding our story,” says Ana.

World Day of Migrants and Refugees

The World Day of Migrants and Refugees is celebrated annually on the last Sunday of September, which falls on the 25 September this year.

In the build-up to the annual celebration, the Migrants and Refugees section of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development has launched a campaign of short videos to shine the spotlight on the experiences of migrants and refugees forced to flee difficult situations in their countries.

Pope Francis has chosen “Building the Future with Migrants and Refugees” as the theme of his annual message for WDMR 2022.