Pope Francis made migrants the centerpiece of his Christmas blessing Wednesday, addressing the topic of immigration a remarkable three times in an 865-word message.
“May the newborn Lord bring light to the people of Africa, where persistent social and political situations often force individuals to migrate, depriving them of a home and family,” the pontiff said to the estimated 55,000 pilgrims and tourists gathered in Saint Peter’s Square.
Next, the pope declared that modern migration is the product of injustice and that migrants often find their efforts impeded by “walls of indifference.”
May the Son of God protect and sustain all those who, due to injustices “are forced to emigrate in the hope of a secure life,” he said in his Urbi et Orbi blessing.
“It is injustice that makes them cross deserts and seas that become cemeteries,” he said, adding:
Senate Republicans push for House GOP rebellion against funding package, voter ID legislation
From Rodney King to Spitting and Kicking Alex Pretti, the Left’s Flawed Hero Worship Never Changes
Former Planned Parenthood Worker Gives Haunting Account of Her Past Work
What Trump’s next pick to lead the Federal Reserve means for your wallet
Hunter S. Thompson suicide ruling stands firm after 20-year review by Colorado investigators
The Left Doesn’t Care About Children, They Care About Using Them Because They Know You Care So Much
Black Pastor Gives Don Lemon a Warning After Storming Church: ‘Don Lemon, Don’t Come Here’
Potential Walz successor unleashes on state’s sanctuary policies: ‘The rule of law matters’
High-end car hustle crashes as couple accused of flipping luxury rides with bogus titles
Dems score big in typically red Texas district that Trump easily won in 2024
GOP reckons with Trump’s ICE blunders: ‘Defeat out of the jaws of victory’
Pro-Kamala Group Goes Dark After Getting Caught Fundraising Off Alex Pretti’s Death
Minneapolis ICE Haters Hauled Away in Cuffs Over Obnoxious, Illegal Tactic
MAGA queen of rap: Nicki Minaj becomes Trump’s newest White House surrogate
Trump says Iran ‘seriously talking to us’ as military ships head to Middle East
It is injustice that forces them to ensure unspeakable forms of abuse, enslavement of every kind and torture in inhumane detention camps. It is injustice that turns them away from places where they might have hope for a dignified life, but instead find themselves before walls of indifference.
Finally, in his closing invocation of the blessings of the Christ Child upon “all the suffering members of our human family,” Francis once again brought up migrants.
“Through our friendship, such as it is, may he draw close to the elderly and the lonely, to migrants and the marginalized,” he said.
Pope Francis said Saturday that migrants are among the most vulnerable and marginalized members of society, while to God, no one is a “stranger.”
In his yearly Christmas address to the Roman Curia last Saturday, the pope called on the Church to promote the “integral development of the human person.”
Senate Republicans push for House GOP rebellion against funding package, voter ID legislation
From Rodney King to Spitting and Kicking Alex Pretti, the Left’s Flawed Hero Worship Never Changes
Former Planned Parenthood Worker Gives Haunting Account of Her Past Work
What Trump’s next pick to lead the Federal Reserve means for your wallet
Hunter S. Thompson suicide ruling stands firm after 20-year review by Colorado investigators
The Left Doesn’t Care About Children, They Care About Using Them Because They Know You Care So Much
Black Pastor Gives Don Lemon a Warning After Storming Church: ‘Don Lemon, Don’t Come Here’
Potential Walz successor unleashes on state’s sanctuary policies: ‘The rule of law matters’
High-end car hustle crashes as couple accused of flipping luxury rides with bogus titles
Dems score big in typically red Texas district that Trump easily won in 2024
GOP reckons with Trump’s ICE blunders: ‘Defeat out of the jaws of victory’
Pro-Kamala Group Goes Dark After Getting Caught Fundraising Off Alex Pretti’s Death
Minneapolis ICE Haters Hauled Away in Cuffs Over Obnoxious, Illegal Tactic
MAGA queen of rap: Nicki Minaj becomes Trump’s newest White House surrogate
Trump says Iran ‘seriously talking to us’ as military ships head to Middle East
This development takes place by “serving those who are most vulnerable and marginalized, particularly those forced to emigrate, who at the present time represent a voice crying in the wilderness of our humanity,” Francis said in an allusion to the biblical figure of Saint John the Baptist, the precursor of Jesus.
“The Church is thus called to remind everyone that it is not simply a matter of social or migration questions but of human persons, of our brothers and sisters who today are a symbol of all those discarded by the globalized society,” he said.
The Church “is called to testify that for God no one is a ‘stranger’ or an ‘outcast,’” he continued. “She is called to awaken consciences slumbering in indifference to the reality of the Mediterranean Sea, which has become for many, all too many, a cemetery.”
In his frequent addresses, Pope Francis has made immigration a hallmark of his pontificate, urging nations to open pathways to streamline migration, insisting that it furnishes opportunities for “racial mixing.”
Last Thursday, Pope Francis presided over the installation of a migrant crucifix in the Vatican, on which he had a migrant life jacket placed on the cross in place of the body of Jesus.
“We are facing another death caused by injustice,” Francis said in his address prior to the unveiling of the crucifix. “Yes, because it is injustice that forces many migrants to leave their lands. It is injustice that forces them to cross deserts and suffer abuse and torture in detention camps. It is injustice that rejects them and makes them die at sea.”
Senate Republicans push for House GOP rebellion against funding package, voter ID legislation
From Rodney King to Spitting and Kicking Alex Pretti, the Left’s Flawed Hero Worship Never Changes
Former Planned Parenthood Worker Gives Haunting Account of Her Past Work
What Trump’s next pick to lead the Federal Reserve means for your wallet
Hunter S. Thompson suicide ruling stands firm after 20-year review by Colorado investigators
The Left Doesn’t Care About Children, They Care About Using Them Because They Know You Care So Much
Black Pastor Gives Don Lemon a Warning After Storming Church: ‘Don Lemon, Don’t Come Here’
Potential Walz successor unleashes on state’s sanctuary policies: ‘The rule of law matters’
High-end car hustle crashes as couple accused of flipping luxury rides with bogus titles
Dems score big in typically red Texas district that Trump easily won in 2024
GOP reckons with Trump’s ICE blunders: ‘Defeat out of the jaws of victory’
Pro-Kamala Group Goes Dark After Getting Caught Fundraising Off Alex Pretti’s Death
Minneapolis ICE Haters Hauled Away in Cuffs Over Obnoxious, Illegal Tactic
MAGA queen of rap: Nicki Minaj becomes Trump’s newest White House surrogate
Trump says Iran ‘seriously talking to us’ as military ships head to Middle East
“I decided to exhibit this life jacket, ‘crucified’ on this cross, to remind us that we must keep our eyes open, keep our hearts open, to remind everyone of the absolute commitment to save every human life, a moral duty that unites believers and non-believers,” he said.
“I thank the Lord for all those who have decided not to remain indifferent and do their utmost to help the victim, without asking too many questions about how or why the poor half-dead person wound up on their street,” Francis said. “It is not by blocking their boats that the problem is solved.”
Story cited here.
