Pope Francis today called on politicians to help 'welcome, protect, promote and integrate' migrants and attacked 'self-centredness' which is 'amplified by populist rhetoric'.
The comments follow the ban by the new US President Donald Trump on migration, travel and asylum from seven Muslim-majority countries.
'Faced with...rejection, rooted ultimately in self-centredness and amplified by populist rhetoric, what is needed is a change of attitude, to overcome indifference and to counter fears with a generous approach of welcoming those who knock at our doors,' the Pope said.
'For those who flee conflicts and terrible persecutions, often trapped within the grip of criminal organisations who have no scruples, we need to open accessible and secure humanitarian channels. A responsible and dignified welcome of our brothers and sisters begins by offering them decent and appropriate shelter.'
Speaking to participants of an International Forum on Migration and Peace taking place in Rome, the Pope said the political community, civil society and the Church must share the response to the complexities of the phenomenon of migration today.
'Our shared response may be articulated by four verbs: to welcome, to protect, to promote and to integrate,' Pope Francis said.
He also highlighted the plight of refugees, citing 'children and young people who are forced to live far from their homeland and who are separated from their loved ones'.
The Pope linked migration to the pursuit of human happiness. 'Migration, in its various forms, is not a new phenomenon in humanity's history,' he said. 'It has left its mark on every age, encouraging encounter between peoples and the birth of new civilizations. In its essence, to migrate is the expression of that inherent desire for the happiness proper to every human being, a happiness that is to be sought and pursued. For us Christians, all human life is an itinerant journey towards our heavenly homeland.'
He also emphasised that conflict and other disasters result in forced movement of peoples. 'The beginning of this third millennium is very much characterised by migratory movement which, in terms of origin, transit and destination, involves nearly every part of the world,' he said. 'Unfortunately, in the majority of cases this movement is forced, caused by conflict, natural disasters, persecution, climate change, violence, extreme poverty and inhumane living conditions.'
Francis went on: 'Before this complex panorama, I feel the need to express particular concern for the forced nature of many contemporary migratory movements, which increases the challenges presented to the political community, to civil society and to the Church, and which amplifies the urgency for a coordinated and effective response to these challenges.'
The Pope also talked of a 'duty of civility' and a 'duty of solidarity' in the face of tragedies towards migrants and refugees.
The two-day forum is organised by the new Vatican Dicastery for the Promotion of Integral Human Development in collaboration with the Scalabrini International Migration Network.
