Hear the cries of migrants

February 11, 2020 in Featured News, Featured Videos, News, Pray with the Pope

During February 2020, The Pope Video centers on the situation of millions of migrant men and women, who are often victims of human trafficking. The Holy Father wants us to stop and listen to the desperate cry of many who suffer from this proven reality, which we must combat.

It is estimated that the total number of international migrants (people who reside in a country which is not the country where they were born) is 271.6 million of whom 47.9% are women and 13.9% are minors. Human trafficking of migrants is a very profitable business: in 2016 it generated between 5.5 and 7 billion dollars.

The Pope Video was produced in collaboration with the Migrants and Refugees Section of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. Its release is also taking place in the context of the International Day of Prayer and Awareness Against Human Trafficking on Saturday, February 8. You can join the campaign using the hashtag #PrayAgainstTrafficking.

Fr Alan Hilliard, Co-ordinator of Chaplaincy Services at DIT Dublin, reflects on the Pope’s intention in Living Prayer. He points to Francis’ warning about the heresies of Gnosticism (placing our human knowledge above God) and Pelagianism (placing our human will before God’s will) as outlined in the exhortation Gaudete et Exsultate (‘Rejoice and Be Glad’).

“He [Pope Francis] encourages us to place two faces before us when we pray and live the Gospel. These are the face of God and the face of our brothers and sisters in need. If we focus only on God and not on our brothers and sisters we can easily drift into heresy. The call to serve keeps us rooted in the compassion and mercy of God which draws us away from our own insular ideas and cul-de-sacs cultivated by our own will.”

Fr Hilliard maintains that attending to the needs of migrants acknowledges the need for grace and the sense of mystery surrounding God in our lives.

Click on the link above to watch the video ».