VATICAN: Vatican Announces Theme for the 112th World Day of Migrants and Refugees
Sr. Jecinter Antoinette Okoth, FSSA
On Thursday, April 9, the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development (PIHD) announced the theme of Pope Leo XIV’s message for the 112th World Day of Migrants and Refugees, “Even just one of these children.”
The title references Christ’s words in Matthew 18:5: “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.”
In the shared message, “the Holy Father intends to express the Church’s concern for minors directly involved in migration, recalling the duty to welcome each one of them as the Gospel teaches us.”
Several Popes have been concerned of global migration crisis, but the current situation presents “new challenges that seriously threaten the rights and dignity of the youngest among us and require urgent and effective responses.”
Therefore, the Vatican’s message highlights, “this is not a matter of discussing numbers or percentages, because ‘even just one’ has the highest value.”
The World Day of Migrants and Refugees takes place annually on the last Sunday of September and is an occasion to express concern for different vulnerable people on the move, to pray for them as they face many challenges, and to increase awareness about the opportunities that migration offers. This year’s 112th edition will be marked on Sunday, September 27.
