Accompaniment and the Catholic Church
Submitted by Marguerite Thompson
Excerpt from justiceforimmigrants.org
In his latest message for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees, Pope Francis emphasizes the theme “God Walks with His People.” He draws a parallel between the experiences of migrants today and the ancient Israelites’ journey from slavery to freedom, highlighting the similar challenges of oppression and hardship they face. Pope Francis states, “Like the people of Israel in the time of Moses, migrants often flee from oppression, abuse, insecurity, discrimination, and lack of opportunities for development. Similar to the Jews in the desert, migrants encounter many obstacles in their path: they are tried by thirst and hunger; they are exhausted by toil and disease; they are tempted by despair.” As Catholics, we are commanded by Jesus (MT 25) to provide support and care for the most vulnerable among us, including the naked, the hungry, the imprisoned, and the stranger. Through this outreach, we are called to accompany migrants at all stages of their journey: from the point of origin, through transit, and to their final destination.