Driving Away Migrants A “Grave Sin”
Submitted by Marguerite Thompson
*Article courtesy of Catholic News Service: https://www.usccb.org/news/2024/pope-driving-away-migrants-grave-sin
Working to turn migrants away from the prospect of peace and security in a new country is “a grave sin,” Pope Francis said.
“It needs to be said clearly: There are those who systematically work by all means to drive away migrants, and this, when done knowingly and deliberately, is a grave sin,” he said during his general audience Aug. 28.
The pope began his audience in St. Peter’s Square by explaining that he would “postpone the usual catechesis” — he currently is in the middle of a series of talks about the Holy Spirit — to discuss “the people who — even at this moment — are crossing seas and deserts to reach a land where they can live in peace and security.”
“Brothers and sisters, we can all agree on one thing: Migrants should not be in those seas and in those lethal deserts,” he said. “And, unfortunately, they are there.”
But migrants cannot be deterred from those deadly crossings “through more restrictive laws, nor through the militarization of borders, nor through rejections,” the pope said. “Instead, we will achieve it by expanding safe and legal avenues for migrants, by facilitating sanctuary for those fleeing wars, violence, persecution and many calamities; we will achieve it by fostering in every way a global governance of migration based on justice, fraternity and solidarity.”