“God walks with his people”: Theme for World Refugee Day 2024 announced

By Joseph Tulloch

The Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development has announced the theme for the 110th World Day of Migrants and Refugees.

The theme for this year’s World Day – which will be celebrated on Sunday, 29 September 2024 – will be “God walks with His people”.

A Church on the move

Ahead of that date, Pope Francis will release a message.

In a press release, the Dicastery said that this message would “address the itinerant dimension of the Church”, with “a particular focus on our migrant brothers and sisters”, who represent “a contemporary icon of the journeying Church.”

“It is a path to be undertaken in a synodal way,” the statement continues, “overcoming all threats and obstacles, in order to reach our true homeland together.  During this journey, wherever people find themselves, it is essential to recognize the presence of God who walks with His people, assuring them of His guidance and protection at every step.  Yet it is equally essential to recognize the presence of the Lord, Emmanuel, God-with-us, in every migrant who knocks at the door of our hearts and offers an opportunity for encounter.”

110 years of the World Day

The World Day of Migrants and Refugees is observed every year on the last Sunday of September.

First celebrated in 1914, it is an occasion to encourage Catholics worldwide to remember and pray for those displaced by conflict, persecution, and economic difficulties.

To mark the event, the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development will carry out a communications campaign, aimed at promoting a deeper understanding of this year’s theme through videos, informational material, and theological reflections.