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Archbishop Gallagher: Migrant children must be welcomed, not merely assisted
Celebrating Mass in Geneva for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees, Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher stresses the importance of recognizing the dignity of displaced children and offering them a sense of belonging.
Vatican News
Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Holy See’s Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations, celebrated Mass at the Basilica of Notre-Dame in Geneva on Sunday, 11 October, to mark the 112th World Day of Migrants and Refugees.
In his homily, the Archbishop reflected on this year’s theme, “Even Just One of These Children”, stressing that the response to displaced children must go beyond humanitarian assistance to recognise their dignity and offer them a genuine sense of belonging.
A place of belonging
Reflecting on the meaning of home, Archbishop Gallagher described it as something far greater than a physical place.
“A home is more than a house or a place to stay,” he said. “It is where we know that we belong, where our name is known, where our presence is expected, and where we can sit at the table without first having to explain why we are there.”
Drawing on the day’s reading from the Prophet Isaiah, the Archbishop recalled the image of the Lord preparing a banquet for all peoples, emphasising that God’s universal love never overlooks the individual.
“For God, the suffering of a displaced child does not disappear into the anonymity of a humanitarian crisis, because the cry of the most vulnerable always reaches His heart.”
Recognising the dignity of every child
Turning to the Gospel account of the wedding feast, Archbishop Gallagher spoke of children forced from their homes by war, violence, persecution, poverty and natural disasters, as well as those separated from their families or exposed to trafficking and exploitation.
Their vulnerability, he stressed, demands more than a response to their immediate needs.
“To protect a child is not merely to perform a duty. To protect a child is to safeguard the divine image imprinted within him or her.”
“Before being a migrant, a refugee, an asylum seeker or a statistic, the child is a human person, created in the image and likeness of God,” he added.
Beyond humanitarian assistance
Referring to Pope Leo XIV’s Message for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees, Archbishop Gallagher echoed the Pope’s appeal to move beyond a “mentality of mere assistance”.
While humanitarian aid remains indispensable, he explained, Christian charity cannot stop at providing food, shelter and protection without also offering people the opportunity to belong.
“Christian charity cannot stop at alleviating needs while leaving the person on the sidelines,” he said.
The Gospel, he continued, calls for a movement “from the road to the house, from exposure to protection, from temporary relief towards the security of belonging.”
The Archbishop also emphasised that the scale of humanitarian crises must never obscure the suffering of individual children.
Concluding his homily, Archbishop Gallagher recalled that Mary and Joseph themselves had been forced to flee their home to protect Jesus from violence.
He entrusted migrants and refugees, especially children and their families, to the care of the Blessed Virgin Mary, praying that Christians might develop a “heart which sees” and become a place of welcome for those far from home.
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