On Sunday, September 27, the universal Church celebrates the 112th World Day of Migrants and Refugees, which this year places children caught up in the experience of migration and flight at its center.
Year after year, the World Day of Migrants and Refugees calls us to look at the complex phenomenon of migration from ever new angles. For this 112th edition, the chosen theme, “Even One of These Little Ones” (cf. Mt 18:10), draws attention to the children and adolescents who live through the experience of migrating and fleeing firsthand, to the care we are called to show them, and to Jesus’s promise: “whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me” (Mk 9:37).
In his message, Pope Leo XIV does not mince words in describing the scale of the phenomenon: “every year, millions of children and adolescents are forced to leave their homeland because of wars, poverty, violence, environmental disasters, and other tragedies; and sadly their number continues to grow. The economic, political, and military responsibilities for this disaster are immense.”
Alongside this stark picture, however, the Pontiff also points to signs of hope already present in the world today: “the light of solidarity is not lacking: individuals, families, civil institutions, and church communities choose not to look away” (cf. Lk 10:29–37). The Pope’s thoughts turn in particular “to the families who open the doors of their homes to give these children back the warmth of a hearth, to the educators in reception communities, to the volunteers and workers who every day, along the migration routes and in our cities, dedicate themselves to caring for the invisible wounds of these little ones.” Through their steady commitment, Leo XIV concludes, “they bear witness that love can overcome indifference.”
A message worth reading in full. The complete text of Pope Leo XIV’s message contains many other reflections and appeals — addressed to families, Christian communities, and civil institutions — that are truly worth taking the time to discover. We invite you to read it by clicking the link below:👉 Read Pope Leo XIV’s full message