In his message for the 111th Celebration of the World Day of Migrants and Refugees, Pope Leo emphasises the role of migrants as “missionaries of hope.” This has reminded me of my and my wife’s experience supporting refugees in Birmingham for more than two decades. We can attest to both the hope that moves migrants and refugees, and the hope that newly arrived communities—when allowed to flourish—can infuse into our local communities and churches, renewing and transforming them from within.
I cannot hide my perplexity and concern at the ongoing signs of division in our communities regarding the role played by migrant communities. These signs have challenged me personally in light of my own experience as a migrant, coming to this country as a missionary with my family in 2001 and serving communities since then.
A particularly concerning aspect of recent demonstrations and public protests is the explicit and implicit use of the Christian symbols and heritage of this country as justification for hostility towards minority communities. I found it particularly baffling to see the harassment of vulnerable sanctuary seekers justified by appeals to the need to “protect our communities.” Our communities are safer and more prosperous when we “learn to look beyond ourselves and our particular interests,” as Pope Francis said.
Pope Francis spoke openly about the hesitancy and fearfulness that the host community may feel regarding migrants. In his encyclical letter Fratelli Tutti, he wrote, “I consider this part of our natural instinct of self-defence,” he said, adding his plea for societies to move beyond those fears, because “doubts and fears condition our way of thinking and acting to the point of making us intolerant, closed, and perhaps even—without realizing it—racist.” (FT 41).
In the midst of these challenging contexts for those who work to put into practice the call to “show hospitality to strangers” (Hebrews 13:2), I choose to search for signs of hope and life in the struggles of the migrants we journey with. I also take great comfort in the affirming words of the Lead Bishop for Migrants and Refugees, Bishop McAleenan, who recently thanked all those “who, in these difficult times, continue to insist on the need to welcome the stranger, even in the face of opposition. Your good work and deeds are seen, heard, and appreciated. May you never lose hope.”
