Pope Francis joined the call to help Myanmar, where violence has displaced thousands and many face starvation.
The Holy Father’s remarks came after praying the noonday Angelus on Sunday, June 20, 2021, with the faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square.
“I join my voice to that of the Bishops of Myanmar, who last week launched an appeal calling the entire world’s attention to the heartrending experience of thousands of people in that country who are displaced and have been dying of hunger: ‘We implore with all courtesy that humanitarian corridors be permitted’ and that ‘churches, pagodas, monasteries, mosques, temples, as well as schools and hospitals’ be respected as neutral places of refuge. May the Heart of Christ touch the hearts of everyone, bringing peace to Myanmar!”
Pope Francis also noted that June 20 is World Day of Refugees’
“Today we celebrate World Day of Refugees, promoted by the United Nations, on the theme: ‘Together we can make a difference’. Let us open our hearts to refugees; let us make their sorrows and their joys our own; let us learn courageous resilience from them! And in this way, all together, we will make a more human community grow, one big family.”
World Refugee Day is an international day designated by the United Nations to honor refugees around the globe. It falls each year on June 20 and celebrates the strength and courage of people who have been forced to flee their home country to escape conflict or persecution. World Refugee Day is an occasion to build empathy and understanding for their plight and to recognize their resilience in rebuilding their lives.
World Refugee Day falls each year on June 20 and is dedicated to refugees around the globe. World Refugee Day was held globally for the first time on June 20, 2001, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees. It was originally known as Africa Refugee Day, before the United Nations General Assembly officially designated it as an international day in December 2000.
