World day for migrants and refugees marked locally |11 February 2014

The International Day for Migrants and Refugees was celebrated on January 19 under the theme “Migrants and refugees towards a better world”.

To mark the occasion, the Office for Migrants and Itinerant People situated at Mont Fleuri recently organised a short ceremony in order to show the plight of migrants and refugees around the world.

On the occasion Pope Francis had issued a message on the difficult situation often faced by these people around the world. The message was read by the office’s director Father Luison, who referred to Francis as an “immigrant Pope”, being a native of Argentina born of Italian immigrants.

Father Luison highlighted that since being elected Pope, Francis has showed great interest in the life of migrants. He recalled that the latter’s first visit out of Rome was to the island of Lampeduza in Italy, which hosts asylum seekers in difficult conditions. From there, he condemned what he called “this globalisation of indifference in regards to the sufferings of migrants and refugees”.

In his message, the Pope refers to the birth of Jesus where the Messiah was born as a migrant in Bethlehem. He says that migration should not be regarded as a thrown away culture where we see migrants and refugees differently, but rather as a consequence of failed states.

He reminds that the phenomenon leads to poverty and difficult working conditions which he terms as “modern slavery’’, and asks the world to see how the rich potential of globalisation can be exploited in favour of a better world. He adds that if migration is taken positively, it can lead to development and dignified living conditions for everyone.

Pope Francis concludes by calling for better international cooperation where countries should help each other more. He however reminds that charity begins at home and so every state should make all its inhabitants feel happy.

During the ceremony, the public heard testimonies from different persons living in a foreign country. Fernando Dalida, a graphic artist of Philippine origin, Innocent Acharia, chemistry lecturer from Kenya and Sophie Belle, a Seychellois currently studying in South Africa, talked about the difficulty of leaving one’s family behind to live overseas and adapt to a foreign culture.

Through their presentations, they also showed the positive side of migration where one can seize fresh opportunities and start a new life away from home.