Pope in Morocco: progress is also being moved by those who knock at our door

A meeting with migrants concluded the first day of Francis in Morocco. The principles expressed in the words "welcome, protect, promot and integrate" must be applied to those who are forced to leave their land.

Rabat (AsiaNews) - Before  those who emigrate "the face we want to give to our society and about the value of each human life" is at stake, because "the progress of our peoples cannot be measured by technological or economic advances alone. It depends above all on our openness to being touched and moved by those who knock at our door”. The attention of the Church towards migrants was reaffirmed today by Pope Francis who dedicated the last appointment of the first day of his trip to Morocco to them.

In fact, at the headquarters of the Diocesan Caritas of Rabat, Francis met about a hundred migrants. Among them also five children in colorful costumes who performed a dance that greatly amused Francis.

In the words he addressed to the migrants, the Pope was inspired by the memory of the Conference that recently ratified the adoption of the World Pact for a secure, orderly and regular migration in Marrakech that "represents an important step forward for the international community, which now, in the context of the United Nations, has for the first time dealt on a multilateral level with this theme in a document of such importance". "This Compact helps us to see that “it is not just about migrants” (cf. Theme of the 2019 World Day of Migrants and Refugees), as if their lives and experiences were completely unrelated to the rest of society, or their status as persons with rights was somehow “on hold” because of their current situation. “The side of the border on which a migrant stands does not make him or her more or less human.”

Francis then reaffirmed that the principles expressed in the verbs "to accept, protect, promote and integrate" must be applied to those who are forced to leave his land.

"Welcoming means, above all, offering broader options for migrants and refugees to enter destination countries safely and legally” (Message for the 2018 World Day of Migrants and Refugees). Indeed, expanding regular migration channels is one of the main objectives of the Global Compact. This shared commitment is needed in order to avoid presenting new opportunities to those “merchants of human flesh” who exploit the dreams and needs of migrants."

"Protecting means defending “the rights and dignity of migrants and refugees, independent of their legal status”. "Here too, it seems necessary to pay particular attention to migrants in situations of great vulnerability: to the many unaccompanied minors and to women. It is essential that everyone be guaranteed the right to the medical, psychological and social assistance."

"Promoting means ensuring that everyone, migrants and local residents alike, can enjoy a safe environment in which they can develop all their gifts. This promotion begins with the recognition that no human being is worthy of being discarded, but rather should be seen as a potential source of personal, cultural and professional enrichment in whatever place they find themselves.”

"Integrating means engaging in a process that enhances both the cultural heritage of the welcoming community and that of migrants, thus building an open and intercultural society. We know that it is not easy – for those who arrive and for those who receive them – to encounter a foreign culture, to put ourselves in the shoes of people quite different from ourselves, to understand their thoughts and their experiences. As a result, we often refuse to encounter the other and raise barriers to defend ourselves ". "Integrating therefore requires not to be conditioned by fear and ignorance".