Pope Francis: Migrants and Refugees Are ‘Emblems of Exclusion’

Pope Francis said Monday that migrants represent all those who are excluded, oppressed, and marginalized in today’s society.

In his annual message for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees, the pope offered a series of reflections revolving around the theme: “It is not just about migrants.”

It’s not just about migrants, he said. It’s about “our fears”; it’s about “charity”; it’s about “our humanity”; it’s about “seeing that no one is excluded”; it’s about “putting the last in the first place”; it’s about “the whole person, about all people”; it’s about “building the city of God and man”; it’s about “all of us, and about the present and future of the human family.”

“The most economically advanced societies are witnessing a growing trend towards extreme individualism which, combined with a utilitarian mentality and reinforced by the media, is producing a ‘globalization of indifference,’” the pope said.

Trump DOJ Sues Gavin Newsom’s California Over Glock Ban

Where key Democrats stand on divisive Michigan Senate primary

Is AI the Remedy for Rural Healthcare?

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce take over Madison Square Garden, shut down Midtown Manhattan

Mamdani lashes out at rich and powerful ‘turning us against one another’ during alternative America 250 speech

‘Happy Somali Independence Day!’ Ohio Capital Account Deletes Post Declaring City Would Fly Foreign Flag Week of July Fourth

Cruz pushes bill to hold tax-exempt sponsors accountable as DOJ probes Singham network

Why Four Million Christians in This Southeast Asian Nation Are In Danger

Democratic senate candidate called for mass release of criminals during prison abolition webinar

Cities brace for holiday weekend teen takeovers putting bystanders at deadly risk, former prosecutor warns

Trump kicks off Fourth of July weekend with symbolic salute to America’s legacy and more top headlines

We asked Americans to grade the economy. Then we asked if it would change their vote.

FBI Reportedly Concludes All Nancy Guthrie Ransom Messages Were Fake

54-Year-Old Defends Himself From Three Masked Thugs on Chicago Bus, Leaves Them Nursing Stab Wounds

James Carville breaks with famous ‘It’s the economy, stupid’ slogan because of Trump

“In this scenario, migrants, refugees, displaced persons and victims of trafficking have become emblems of exclusion,” he said. “In addition to the hardships that their condition entails, they are often looked down upon and considered the source of all society’s ills.”

“That is why it is not just about migrants,” he said. “When we show concern for them, we also show concern for ourselves, for everyone; in taking care of them, we all grow; in listening to them, we also give voice to a part of ourselves that we may keep hidden because it is not well regarded nowadays.”

In his message, the pope reiterated his conviction that resistance to mass migration is fueled by fear.

“The signs of meanness we see around us heighten our fear of ‘the other,’ the unknown, the marginalized, the foreigner,” he said. “We see this today in particular, faced with the arrival of migrants and refugees knocking on our door in search of protection, security and a better future.”

These doubts and fears “condition our way of thinking and acting to the point of making us intolerant, closed and perhaps even – without realizing it – racist,” he said. “In this way, fear deprives us of the desire and the ability to encounter the other, the person different from myself.”