DEFEND THE RIGHTS OF MIGRANTS, REFUGEES AND THEIR FAMILIES

VATICAN CITY, NOV 14, 2006 (VIS) - In the Holy See Press Office this morning, Cardinal Renato Raffaele Martino and Archbishop Agostino Marchetto, respectively president and secretary of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant Peoples, presented the Pope's Message for the 93rd World Day of Migrants and Refugees. The Day is due to be celebrated on Sunday, January 14, 2007 and has as its theme "the migrant family."

  Cardinal Martino indicated how "in societies where immigration is an important phenomenon, the role of the family unit gives way to the individual and his or her capacity to be productive or successful. ... Language, which is a vehicle of communication, can also become a barrier between the first generation and subsequent generations, even within the same family. This accentuates the isolation of the members of the family unit, isolation that sometimes becomes solitude and marginalization."

  "Isolation is even more marked," he continued, "among women, enclosed within the walls of the home and with few opportunities for external relations," who can sometimes even "end up as victims of human trafficking or of prostitution."

  The cardinal highlighted how, alongside people who emigrate with their documents in order, "there are growing numbers who flee their homeland in the hope of a better future in the developed countries. ... Often the journey becomes a death trap," and many end up embroiled "in corruption, criminality and prostitution." In this context, the president of the pontifical council recalled the Holy Father's invitation "to ratify the legal instruments that aim to defend the rights of migrants, refugees and their families."

  Referring to the final part of the Message, where the Holy Father talks of foreign students, Cardinal Martino said "it is calculated that they number more than two million, with a particularly large presence in the United States, Great Britain, France and Germany." After highlighting the "economic problems" faced by students from poor nations, and the "problems of integration into the host countries," the cardinal concluded by stressing how the Church, "apart from assistance, is called to offer moral support and Christian formation."

  "The families of refugees must find a warm welcome in their host countries," said Archbishop Marchetto. "Today, however, it is painful for us to note that understanding and sympathy for refugees is diminishing," and "actions are committed that make life more difficult for those seeking asylum. ... Furthermore, the situation of internally displaced persons is, in general, even more difficult, as there is not yet any international legislation to deal with them."

  The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) looks after 20 million people, said the archbishop, while internally displaced persons number 24 million. "In the countries in the so-called South of the world, there are some six million refugees who have been living in special 'camps' for more than five years, often with little respect being shown for their rights. ... They are unable to work properly, or leave their 'camps' freely, because their movements are restricted." Moreover, "the food rations given them are often insufficient."

  "Maintaining a family under such conditions is obviously very difficult," said the secretary of the pontifical council, pointing out how this has a negative effect on internal relationships within the family as a result of which "social structures are weakened and people lose their values, their humanity and their dignity."

  Finally, the archbishop spoke of refuge families who have found asylum in other countries, and highlighted the necessity of "accompanying" them in their adaptation to their new environment, a field in which local Churches could play an important role, he said. "Such accompaniment," he concluded, "is necessary during the process of integration. It is an expression of respect for others and at the same time, enables the people assisted to change, in accordance with the real concept of integration, which is not assimilation. For us, such an approach has deep roots in Christianity and, even today, shows what the Church stands for and promotes."
OP/MIGRANTS:REFUGEES/MARTINO:MARCHETTO            VIS 20061114 (680)