Never forget your human dignity. Do not be afraid to look others in the eyes because you are not a discard, but you are also part of the human family and the family of the children of God.” With these words, Pope Francis encourages a group of migrants who are in the Lajas Blancas Reception Camp, on the outskirts of the Panamanian jungle of Darién, where around 3,000 migrants who come from Venezuela, Ecuador, Colombia, Haiti, Nicaragua, and other Latin American countries.
Walk with a heart full of hope
In the letter – signed in San Juan de Lateran, on March 21, 2024 – the Holy Father expresses his closeness to them and reminds them that he was also part of a family of migrants “who left in search of a better future.”
“There were times when they were left with nothing, even starving; with empty hands, but a heart full of hope.”
The face of a mother Church that marches with its children
Likewise, the Holy Father thanks the Bishops and pastoral agents of Panama, Colombia and Costa Rica who are meeting from March 19 to 22 in Panama to address the pastoral issues of the migratory crisis, in the event called “Easter with our migrant brothers.”
“They are the face of a mother Church that marches with her sons and daughters, in whom she discovers the face of Christ and, like Veronica, with affection, provides relief and hope in the via cruces of migration. Thank you for committing to our migrant brothers and sisters who represent the suffering flesh of Christ, when they are forced to abandon their land, to face the risks and tribulations of a hard path, finding no other way out.”
They are not a discard, they are part of the human family
And to the migrants gathered in this Panamanian city, Pope Francis encourages them not to be afraid and to defend their human dignity.
“Never forget your human dignity. Do not be afraid to look others in the eyes because you are not a discard, but you are also part of the human family and the family of the children of God. And thanks for being there”.
***
LETTER OF THE HOLY FATHER FRANCIS
TO A GROUP OF MIGRANTS GATHERED IN LAJAS BLANCAS, PANAMA
Dear migrants,
I would like to be there with you at this time. I too am the son of migrants who set out in search of a better future. There were moments in which they found themselves with nothing, to the point of suffering from hunger, empty-handed, but with their hearts full of hope.
I thank my brother bishops and the pastoral workers who represent me before you. They are the face of a mother Church who journeys with her sons and daughters, in who she discovers the face of Christ and, like Veronica, affectionately offers relief and hope in the via Crucis of migration. Thank you for working with our migrant brothers and sisters who represent the suffering flesh of Christ, when they find themselves forced to abandon their homeland and face the risks and tribulations of a difficult journey, having found no other way out.
Migrant brothers and sisters, never forget your human dignity. Do not be afraid to look others in the eye, because you are not cast away; you too are part of the human family and the family of children of God. And thank you for being gathered there.
May Jesus bless you and the Holy Virgin keep you. And please, do not forget to pray for me.
Fraternally yours,
Rome, Saint John Lateran, 21 March 2024
FRANCIS
_________________________________
Holy See Press Office Bulletin, 21 March 2024
© Church in Aragon
