Pope’s call to “Protect Underage Migrants”
Vatican City, Sep 23 (EFE).-
Pope Leo XIV called on “everyone’s sense of responsibility” to protect underage migrants who “endure unspeakable suffering,” following a general audience on Wednesday held in St. Peter’s Square.
“Next Sunday, 27 September, marks the World Day of Migrants and Refugees. My thoughts go out to migrants and refugees, especially minors compelled to leave their homeland ,” the Pope recalled.
“Children and teenagers are the most vulnerable, and they often endure unspeakable suffering: violence, torture, exploitation, traumatic conditions, and it is not uncommon for them to lose their lives along migration routes,” said the American pontiff.
“I appeal to everyone’s sense of responsibility: let us all feel a sense of involvement in the lives of these young people, who must always be protected and supported,” he added.
In his latest message dedicated to migrants, Leo XIV underlined that public and private institutions are obliged to place the protection and dignity of each migrant child and adolescent at the center, promoting family reunification and avoiding the traumas of separation such as repatriation.
He further advocated an urgent change in perspective, shifting from the mere management of migration flows to the full and immediate protection of human rights, while adopting a coordinated, solidarity-based, and effective response, capable of guaranteeing protection, and real opportunities for integration to those who emigrate. EFE
ccg/sc
