WORLD REFUGEES & MIGRATION DAY

The World Day of Migrants and Refugees is observed each year as a time to learn about, listen to, and pray for and with those who have been forced to flee their homeland. The theme for this year’s World Day is “GOD WALKS WITH HIS PEOPLE”. Pope Francis says our response should be ‘to meet and assist the person who knocks on our door, hungry, thirsty, an outsider, naked, sick and imprisoned’. He says, ‘People fleeing for fear of their lives should be assisted, not arrested, offered a proper chance to explain their circumstances, not treated as criminals and held in offshore detention’. The Nauru facility has more than 100 detainees, while about 50 people have been held in Port Moresby for 11 years. The offshore processing policy is a cruel failure that has cost over $12 billion since 2012. Around Australia, many refugees and other migrants who hold temporary visas live in a state of uncertainty and insecurity, unable to obtain work rights or income support. Today, we are encouraged to consider what we can do to contribute to creating a welcoming and just society for all migrants and refugees.