God Walks with His People

In his Message for the 2024 World Day of Migrants and Refugees, which will be observed on September 29 (see below), Pope Francis observes that “Emphasizing the synodal dimension [of Church life] allows the Church to rediscover its itinerant nature, as the People of God journeying through history on pilgrimage, “migrating,” we could say, toward the Kingdom of Heaven (cf. Lumen Gentium, 49).”

Church teaching on migration is grounded in our absolute conviction that every human person—regardless of his or her race, creed, color, ethnicity, sexual orientation, country of origin or social and economic standing—is made in the divine image and likeness, and, therefore, is our sister or brother in the one family of God.

We welcome all, respect all, and strive to love all as members of God’s family. We refuse to reject anyone out of hand, and we insist that all who come to us (legally or illegally) must be treated with the courtesy we would extend to Christ himself.

In addition, we believe that all of us are immigrants. That is, we are all pilgrims who seek God no matter where we are or what our circumstances may be. As strangers and sojourners ourselves, we have no right to look down on or act superior toward those who seek refuge and a better life among us.

This insistence on human dignity and fair treatment for our fellow pilgrims does not mean that we fail to recognize the need for immigration policies that are ordered, legal and respectful of our nation’s right to maintain its borders.

Continue reading Cardinal Joseph Tobin’s latest newsletter.