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Education and
social integration for minor migrants
The following is
Benedict XVI's Message for the 96th World Day of Migrants and
Refugees on the theme "Minor Migrants and Refugees", to be celebrated on
17 January 2010.
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
The celebration of the World Day of Migrants and
Refugees once again gives me the opportunity to express the Church's
constant concern for those who, in different ways, experience a life of
emigration. This is a phenomenon which, as I wrote in the Encyclical
Caritas in Veritate, upsets us due to the number of people
involved and the social, economic, political, cultural and religious
problems it raises on account of the dramatic challenges it poses to
both national and international communities. The migrant is a human
person who possesses fundamental, inalienable rights that must be
respected by everyone and in every circumstance (cf. n. 62).
This year's theme
—
"Minor Migrants and Refugees"
—
touches an aspect that Christians view with great attention, remembering
the warning of Christ who at the Last Judgement will consider as
directed to himself everything that has been done or denied "to one of
the least of these" (cf. Mt 25:40, 45). And how can one fail to consider
migrant and refugee minors as also being among the "least"? As a child,
Jesus himself experienced migration for, as the Gospel recounts, in
order to flee the threats of Herod, he had to seek refuge in Egypt
together with Joseph and Mary (cf. Mt 2:14).
While the Convention on the Rights of the Child clearly
states that the best interests of the minor shall always be safeguarded
(cf. Art. 3, 1), recognizing his or her fundamental human rights as
equal to the rights of adults, unfortunately this does not always happen
in practice.
Although there is increasing public awareness of the
need for immediate and incisive action to protect minors, nevertheless,
many are left to themselves and, in various ways, face the risk of
exploitation. My venerable Predecessor John Paul II, voiced the dramatic
situation in which they live in the Message he addressed to the
Secretary General of the United Nations on 22 September 1990, on the
occasion of the World Summit for Children.
"I am a witness of the heart-breaking plight of millions
of children on every continent. They are most vulnerable, because they
are least able to make their voice heard" (L'Osservatore Romano
English edition, 1 October 1990, p. 13). I warmly hope that proper
attention will be given to minor migrants who need a social environment
that permits and fosters their physical, cultural, spiritual and moral
development. Living in a foreign land without effective points of
reference generates countless and sometimes serious hardships and
difficulties for them, especially those deprived of the support of their
family.
A typical aspect of the migration of minors is the
situation of children born in the host country or of those who do not
live with their parents, who emigrated after their birth, but join them
later. These adolescents belong to two cultures with all the advantages
and problems attached to their dual background, a condition that can
nevertheless offer them the opportunity to experience the wealth of an
encounter between different cultural traditions. It is important that
these young people be given the possibility of attending school and
subsequently of being integrated into the world of work, and that their
social integration be facilitated by appropriate educational and social
structures. It should never be forgotten that adolescence constitutes a
fundamental phase for the formation of human beings.
A particular category of
minors is that of refugees seeking asylum, who,
for various reasons, are fleeing their own
country, where they are not given adequate protection. Statistics show
that their numbers are increasing. This is therefore a phenomenon that
calls for careful evaluation and coordinated action by implementing
appropriate measures of prevention, protection and welcome, as set forth
in the Convention on the Rights of the Child (cf. Art. 22).
I now turn in particular to
parishes and to the many Catholic associations which, imbued with a
spirit of faith and charity, take pains to meet the needs of these
brothers and sisters of ours. While I express gratitude for all that is
being done with great generosity, I would like to invite all Christians
to become aware of the social and pastoraI, challenges posed by migrant
and refugee minors.
Jesus' words resound in our
hearts: "I was a stranger and you welcomed me" (Mt 25:35), as, likewise,
the central commandment he left us: to love God with all our heart, with
all our soul and with all our mind, but together with love of neighbour
(cf. Mt 22:37-39).
This leads us to consider
that any of our concrete interventions must first be nurtured by faith
in the action of grace and divine Providence. In this way also
hospitality and solidarity to strangers, especially if they are
children, become a proclamation of the Gospel of solidarity. The Church
proclaims this when she opens her arms and strives to have the rights of
migrants and refugees respected, moving the leaders of Nations, and
those in charge of international organizations and institutions to
promote opportune initiatives for their support.
May the Blessed Virgin Mary
watch over us all and help us to understand the difficulties faced by
those who are far from their homeland. I assure all those who are
involved in the vast world of migrants and refugees of my prayers and
cordially impart to them the Apostolic Blessing.
From the Vatican, 16
October 2009
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