Statement by His Eminence Pietro Cardinal Parolin, Secretary of State of His Holiness
at the Roundtable (Core Responsibility 3 of the Agenda for Humanity)
Leave no one behind: A Commitment to Address Forced Displacement
of the World Humanitarian Summit
Istanbul, 23 May 2016
Largely due to multiple protracted conflicts, natural disasters and extreme poverty, there are vast numbers of persons internally displaced and crossing borders in search of a better life far away from exclusion, hunger, exploitation and the unjust distribution of the planet’s resources.
We need to implement collectively concrete actions that will promote worthy social living and peace building, without limiting ourselves to short-sighted policies that are counter-productive. After all, the true measure of every society is gauged by whether it threatens or enhances respect for the life and the inherent dignity of every human person, no matter how small or legally defined.
Since the heart of the Holy See’s mission is to be a sign and instrument of communion, promoting the inherent human dignity of migrants, asylum seekers, refugees and other forcibly displaced persons, including those in irregular situations, is a key component of its global mission.
The Holy See is convinced that an increased awareness of our fraternity is essential in managing migration: without such fraternity, it is impossible to build a just society and a solid and lasting peace.
Many Catholic institutions tirelessly attend to their physical sufferings as well as their material and spiritual needs. The Holy See favours social integration through education and message framing that dissipates the toxic migration narrative, fuelled by fear, intolerance and xenophobia. In addition, the Holy See’s diplomatic representatives together with charitable associations and Catholic inspired movements cooperate to educate for peace in conflict areas. Whether the exodus and displacement is slowed or entirely avoided, the Holy See promotes, in such situations, accompaniment, education, and reconciliation as well as the peaceful return of persons to their homeland.
For its part,
The Holy See is committed to working with all actors (States, International organizations, non-State actors) for a better understanding of the current situation of forced displacement and refugee flows and its causes, and to doing its best to find new ways to build a decent future for all, based on dialogue, integration, cooperation and a just world order.
The Holy See is committed to advocating for the protection and proper assistance to forced migrants, internally displaced peoples and victims of trafficking, and to working to find durable solutions and reconcile communities.
The Holy See is committed to forming public opinion to prevent unwarranted fears and speculations detrimental to migrants by shaping the message that migrants are our brothers and sisters.
The Holy See is committed to emphasizing ways to demonstrate solidarity, cooperation and international interdependence, namely the need for the international community to resolve at the earliest stages the flight of refugees and departures as a result of poverty, violence and persecution through outreach and assistance to countries of origin as well as to countries of transit and destination.
Migration per se is a constitutive element of international life. It challenges us to develop a correct transnational vision that goes well beyond narrow evaluations of global events towards a new cultural, social and economic vision, in which human mobility could even play a central and positive role.