Pope Francis, Sunday, January 14 at 10, will celebrate Mass for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees at St. Peter’s. To make it known is a notice from the Office of Pontifical Liturgical Celebrations.
The “concern of the Church” for “the sad situation of many migrants and refugees fleeing wars, persecutions, natural disasters and poverty” prompted Pope Francis to publish the Message for the World Day of Migrants on 21 August of the 2018 refugee, which will be celebrated next January 14, on the theme “Welcoming, Protecting, Promoting and Integrating Migrants and Refugees”.
Someone wanted to see in this large advance of publication a “move”, a way to influence the Italian political world that has been debating for months on the theme of jus soli, the right to citizenship for the children of migrants born in Italy and for adults which for years have been living and are integrated into our society.
In fact, in the Message the pontiff emphasizes the rejection of “statelessness”, and hopes that the host countries produce “legislation on citizenship that conforms to the fundamental principles of international law” for newborn children and those who have long been living in the country. But to reduce the whole message to a political “move” seems to me to be very reductive and perhaps provincial. In fact, it should not be forgotten that the issue of migrants and migrations is a “sign of the times”, an element that now embraces the whole planet.
There is therefore a global dimension of the issue that should not be underestimated. The message is not addressed only to European or Western countries, fearful of hospitality and Islamic fundamentalism, but to all the countries of the world.
