On Monday, January 1, 2018, the Solemnity of St. Mary Mother of God, the Church celebrates the 51st World Day of Peace. The motto of reflection that he proposes for this year is: “Migrants and refugees: men and women in search of peace.”

In his message, the Pope reminds the “over 250 million migrants worldwide, of whom 22.5 million are refugees. Pope Benedict XVI, my beloved predecessor, spoke of them as ‘men and women, children, young and elderly people, who are searching for somewhere to live in peace.’ In order to find that peace, they are willing to risk their lives on a journey that is often long and perilous, to endure hardships and suffering, and to encounter fences and walls built to keep them far from their goal.”

Likewise, he states that “many destination countries have seen the spread of rhetoric decrying the risks posed to national security or the high cost of welcoming new arrivals, and thus demeaning the human dignity due to all as sons and daughters of God.”

The Pope denounces those who “foment fear of migrants instead of building peace are sowing violence, racial discrimination and xenophobia, which are matters of great concern for all those concerned for the safety of every human being.”

According to Pope Francis, “offering asylum seekers, refugees, migrants and victims of human trafficking an opportunity to find the peace they seek requires a strategy combining four actions: welcoming, protecting, promoting and integrating,” actions in which the Pope insists in his Message for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees of January 14, 2018.

Read the full message here: