OFFICE FOR SOCIAL MINISTRY
“Our shared response to migrants and refugees may be articulated by four verbs: to welcome, to protect, to promote and to integrate.” (Pope Francis)
During the same week in August that the Vatican released Pope Francis’s message about migrants and refugees, we were invited to Mexico to accompany immigrants on their journey. Our first stop was the southernmost state of Chiapas — a beautiful mountainous frontier widely known now as a place of refuge for Central Americans fleeing violence, war, corruption and terror in the neighboring countries of El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala.
It is also a place Pope Francis specifically chose to visit during his 2016 American/Mexican tour, where he saw firsthand not only the beauty of the people and nature there but the real desperation and devastation experienced by migrants and refugees on their journey to a better life.
During that trip the pope called on Catholics to be a church “without borders” with “an option for the poor,” including the migrants and refugees living on the margins of their communities. Now it was our chance to encounter Christ through the most vulnerable. The Catholic Church in Chiapas is clearly embodying the message of Papa Francisco to (in Spanish) “acoger, protectar, promoter e integrar” — even amidst the many dangers that migrants face during and after transit.
Acoger — Welcome
We were blessed to talk story and experience the living sacrament of Eucharist, bread being broken and wine poured out through the migrant ministry of people in Chiapas welcoming migrants crossing the border. Former migrants opened their homes, preparing food for weary travelers. Many volunteer to serve at feeding centers and to build shelters, which bear the names of Pope Francis and Blessed Oscar Romero, Archbishop of San Salvador, a martyr of social justice who was assassinated in 1980 while offering Mass.
Protectar — Protect
As we listened to the traumatic stories of refugees being kidnapped, robbed or tortured, it was also inspiring to witness how the poor were protecting the poor. One family, who recently survived an armed robbery, took in a pregnant migrant who was abused and raped. The laity, along with priests and sisters, continually risk their lives night and day to assist refugees crossing borders. Shelters are overflowing with women and children as well as men, young and old, living in fear on the margins of society.
Promoter — Promote
Our Vatican-led team for migrants and refugees visited many churches and communities to share Pope Francis’ message of helping our brothers and sisters in need achieve their full potential. It was heartening to meet so many volunteers, including psychologists, social workers and lawyers working together with migrants in crisis seeking security, connecting them to resources and helping them apply for work permits and refugee status.
Integrar — Integrate
During our visit to the largest migrant and refugee detention center in the Americas, we encountered Christ through the many migrants making the transition back to their homes of origin. One man from Honduras shared his courageous story of jumping a train called “la bestia” to find work across the border to support his family, losing his arm and leg in the process. We met a young mother of two who was attempting to flee the violence and poverty of El Salvador, only to be robbed of her life savings by gangs three times on the journey and then imprisoned and separated from her husband. We also talked with four young teenage girls from Guatemala who were still in shock after being caught and detained for crossing the northern border. We were able to help them make phone calls to their families back home and let them know they were still alive.
These kinds of stories are happening every day in Mexico and across borders around the world. Let us work to truly be a church without borders by following Pope Francis’ call to welcome, protect, promote and integrate our fellow migrants and refugees. And may all our brothers and sisters in need find safety, security, peace and justice — no matter where they go. Gracias a Dios. Mahalo,
Your friends at the Office for Social Ministry
