“Towards an Ever Wider ‘We’ ”
Catholics have been observing the World Day of Migrants and Refugees since 1914, each year recognizing the vulnerability of displaced persons, while embracing the opportunities that arise when migrants and refugees are supported in their journeys and welcomed in their resettlement. In his papal message, Pope Francis calls us to recognize a “we” as “wide as humanity:”
“…the highest price is being paid by those who most easily become viewed as others: foreigners, migrants, the marginalized, those living on the existential peripheries. “The truth however is that we are all in the same boat and called to work together so that there will be no more walls that separate us, no longer others, but only a single ‘we’, encompassing all of humanity.”
Climate Migrants and Refugees: A New Reality
On this 107th World Day, the increased challenges presented by a looming climate crisis are also recognized. Global sources indicate that millions worldwide have already been displaced by the increased frequency and intensity of various environmental calamities, including droughts, catastrophic flooding and extreme heat. It’s estimated that a large-scale remapping of the world’s population is in our foreseeable future, as areas long-habitable now yield to a climate on the brink, becoming inhospitable to human life and livelihood. Often the most vulnerable and disadvantaged among us are affected first and most severely.
During this World Day of Migrants and Refugees, we are called to support, comfort, and welcome those among us who are displaced, recognizing that they are part of the single “we.” During this Season of Creation, we are called to advocate for our neighbors’ welfare as we would for our own; we are called to help stabilize the global climate, by modifying our own behaviors and consumption, and urging our leaders to take immediate steps to protect our common home.
Climate Distress and Migration: An Emergent Issue Here at Home
Nearly a third of the U.S. population lives in a county subjected to a weather disaster at some point this last summer, and over 60 percent live in areas subjected to a multi-day heat wave during the same time period, according to a recent analysis by the Washington Post. Life-threatening droughts, flooding, extreme heat and wildfires – the intensity of all on an upward trajectory – are now a familiar part of our domestic news feeds. How will we meet the threat of climate-related devastation and displacement, here at home as well as abroad?
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Watch the video to sign and learn more about the “Healthy Planet, Healthy People” petition. How will we heed our Christian leaders’ guidance to begin to “…pursue generosity and fairness in the ways that we live, work, and use money…” during this Season of Creation – honor Creation , honor the Creator