Pope Francis is convinced that special attention is needed to ensure that those who are forced to migrate are not excluded or forgotten and can participate in the growth common to all. This is the mission that in 2017 he entrusted to the Migrants and Refugees Section, which he decided to direct himself. 

One of its first fruits was to disseminate and explain the four verbs with which Pope Francis summarises how governments, institutions, and personsindividuals should act to address the problem of human mobility:  WELCOME, PROTECT, PROMOTE, INTEGRATE.

Our direct work and solidarity with victims of exploitation led us to develop the Pastoral Guidelines on Human Trafficking. These guidelines are being implemented in local programmes and groups that collaborate to rescue victims. They are directed not only to Catholic organisations but also to personsindividuals and institutions in civil society.

Among the many faces of the climate crisis, there are also those of the people displaced by this great collective failure. That is why we are currently devoting a lot of effort to addressing the challenges posed by the new global scenario and finding adequate pastoral responses.

An important milestone in our work is the celebration of the World Day of Migrants and Refugees on the last Sunday of September. Each year, it is the culmination of months of work centered on a theme proposed by the Pope. 

A good way to know where we are going is to remember where we come from. In the words of the Holy Father: “I am here to see your faces and look you in the eyeslook into your eyes. Eyes full of fear and expectancy, eyes that have seen violence and poverty, eyes streaked by too many tears. The Church is at your side as you seek a more dignified life for yourselves and your families. To all of you.“