Beyond the Shipwreck: Transforming the Global Migrant Phenomenon

By Fr. John Lydon, OSA*

Looking at Pope Leo’s short pontificate to date, we can easily see some of the central concerns that arise as he reads the “signs of the times”, and help the Church discern God’s wisdom in responding to those challenges.

One of these is the Migrant and Refugee Crisis, which has often become a political lightning rod in many countries of Europe and North America. The Pope’s message is a direct critique of the present-day, ever-narrowing perspective of how to respond to this global phenomenon.

His recent visit to the Canary Islands, his visit on July 4 to Lampedusa, and his recent visit to Mother Cabrini’s birthplace, all point to the importance this issue has in his vision of the gospel’s mandate for the Church.

It is his visit to the Canary Islands that was his most extensive sign to date about his challenging the public rhetoric around the issue of migrants and refugees.

The Pope said that we must address the “silent shipwreck that occurs after arrival: being left alone in a city, without a voice, without ties, work or a sense of security, and exposed to those who take advantage of vulnerability” (Pope Leo XIV in Tenerife).

It is tempting to respond only by managing emergencies as they surface. However, we cannot limit ourselves to temporary fixes; we need compassionate systemic change. We need to look at and aliviate the causes of migration, and then treat with compassion those that arrive whose faces reflect the very face of the suffering Christ.

Below the surface of the images of arriving migrants are the complex causes that need to be addressed. Below the popular political discourses against migrants, we need to go deeper and look at the fear that drives us to responses far from what is asked by our faith.

Pope Francis talked of the “globalization of indifference,” and Pope Leo of the “globalization of powerlessness.” These are two sides of the same coin and call out for dialogue and investigation, solidarity and compassion, so that we can respond as one family of God.

As the Pope powerfully reminded us in his visit to Tenerife, Canary Islands: “a human conscience, and even more so a Christian conscience, cannot remain indifferent in the face of these graveyards of the sea. Every life lost on these routes is a failure for the human family” (Pope Leo XIV in Tenerife).

In his encyclical Magnifica humanitas, Pope Leo XIV provides the moral compass for this transformation. He states, “A litmus test for social justice today is the treatment of migrants, refugees and those forced to move due to poverty, violence, climate change and environmental disasters. The way a society treats them reveals whether its sense of justice is driven by fear or by the spirit of fraternity” (Magnifica humanitas).

He further urges us that rebuilding a wounded world means recognizing that “in the plurality of voices and visions… there is a luminous possibility: that of building together, transforming diversity into a resource and making listening and dialogue the common ground on which to grow justice and fraternity” (Magnifica humanitas, n. 10).

Convinced that academic institutions have a moral imperative to join together, to become a “constellation of hope” as the Pope has stated, means that we have to look together to address the causes of migration and the best way to integrate migrants into their new homes. We need to be moved to action by the “cry” of those who suffer.

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Driven by this conviction, after the Pope’s visit, we immediately gathered at the Universidad de La Laguna in Tenerife for the symposium “Refugees & Migrants in Our Common Home.

“We did not convene to listen to passive lectures, but rather to bring together academics, NGO leaders, and migrants to co-create concrete Action Plans across four pillars: teaching, research, advocacy, and service. Our goal is to help build a more integrated response as we respond to the Pope’s message: “Integration means preventing that second shipwreck. It means helping those who arrived wounded not to remain forever stuck in their pain, but to be able to get back on their feet, recognize their gifts and offer them to the community.” (Pope Leo XIV in Tenerife).

We began, therefore, hearing the cry of the migrants who are, as the Pope said on another occasion, “messengers of hope.” This hope has a human face.

We saw it embodied in the Canary Islands through testimonies like that of Ousman Umar, who survived a brutal five-year trek through eight countries, crossing the desert and sea starting at just 12 years old, watching the vast majority of his companions perish along the way. Today, with an MBA, he leads an NGO that promotes educational and economic opportunities in his home village in Ghana, so that other youths do not feel forced to risk their lives by migrating. Other refugees from the Center of Buen Samaritano shared their harrowing stories of survival and eventual integration into the wider society.

By bringing together academics, NGOs, migrants and building partnerships, we strive to build the bridges of dialogue that can result in changes that promote the integration of migrants into society, and that their presence is seen as a blessing for all concerned.

Building those bridges in an integrated way is a particular gift universities partners can provide. The challenge before us extends well beyond the shores of the Canary Islands.

While Tenerife is currently an epicenter of pain, the shipwreck of human dignity occurs daily across all borders of our common home. The solution to this global crisis will not be achieved through fragmented efforts but by mobilizing a worldwide community united by co-responsibility.

The testimonies during these days in the Canary Islands were moving. The Pope’s words were inspirational and challenging for us all. The talks by many participants truly showed a constellation of stars that shine brightly in what is often, in our present society, a sea of darkness. We all share the noble and necessary task of dismantling prejudice and designing the systemic bridges that will lead us to a more just and inclusive future.

As the Pope commanded in his parting words in Spain: “Lift up your gaze! Yes, let us turn our eyes to Christ Crucified… and guided by Mary, let us continue our journey with hope!” (Pope Leo XIV in Tenerife).

Our work to transform the present conditions and mindsets into a better future for migrants, refugees, and indeed our entire society has only just begun.

* Fr. John Lydon, OSA is an Augustinian priest, director of the Mother Cabrini Institute on Immigration at Villanova University (USA), and co-organizer of the global initiative “Refugees & Migrants in Our Common Home”.