World Day of Migrants and Refugees Message 2023 published

The Holy See Press Office published the Message of Pope Francis for the 109^th World Day of Migrants and Refugees (WDMR) to be held on Sunday, September 24, 2023 with the theme: "Free to choose whether to migrate or to stay".

In his Message, Pope Francis recalls that "migrants flee because of poverty, fear or desperation" and points out that some of the most visible causes of migration are " Persecutions, wars, atmospheric phenomena and dire poverty ".

In this regard, the Holy Father indicates in the Message that "Joint efforts are needed by individual countries and the international community to ensure that all enjoy the right not to be forced to emigrate, in other words, the chance to live in peace and with dignity in one's own country."

The Pope also asks "to see in the migrant not simply a brother or sister in difficulty, but Christ himself, who knocks at our door" and adds that, "as we work to ensure that in every case migration is the fruit of a free decision, we are called to show maximum respect for the dignity of each migrant".

"In whatever place we decide to build our future, in the country of our birth or elsewhere, the important thing is that there always be a community ready to welcome, protect, promote and integrate everyone, without distinctions and without excluding anyone," wrote Pope Francis.

In the presentation of the Holy Father’s Message, which took place on May 11 at the Holy See Press Room, was the Undersecretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, Fr. Fabio Baggio; the Vice-President of the Italian Episcopal Conference (CEI) and Bishop of Cassano all'Jonio, Mgr. Francesco Savino; the Director General of the International Volunteer for Development (VIS), Chiara Lombardi; and a migrant from Bangladesh and member of the Sophia cooperative, Dullal Ghosh.

In addition, during the presentation of the Pope’s Message a video was presented, in which the Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, Cardinal Michael Czerny, speaks, together with a testimony from Domingos Dirceu Franco, of the RestarT project by the Focolare Movement, who work on behalf of the population in Syria, so that they are not forced to flee by war and extreme poverty.

To spread the Message of Pope Francis and in preparation for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees, the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development launched the campaign "Free to choose whether to migrate or to stay". In this link you can download, use and share with others the available material. 

The local Churches are also invited to send their testimonies and contributions for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees to the following e-mail address: communication@humandevelopment.va.