“Migrants, refugees, displaced persons and victims of trafficking, have become an emblem of exclusion because, in addition to facing difficulties due to their very condition, they are often subjected to negative judgments, since they are considered responsible for the social ills, “said Francisco in his message for International Migrants Day.

After denouncing the “globalization of indifference” in economically more advanced societies, the Pope warned that the attitude towards these people “constitutes a warning signal, which warns us of the moral decay we face if we continue to give space to the Discard culture. “

“By showing interest in them, we are also interested in us, by everyone, that taking care of them, we all grow, that listening to them, we also give voice to that part of us that maybe we keep hidden because today is not well seen,” he said.

He said that the fear of these unknown people “is legitimate, also because there is lack of preparation for this meeting,” but he said: “The problem is not the fact of having doubts and feeling fear, the problem is when those doubts and those fears condition our form to think and act to the point of becoming intolerant, closed and perhaps, without realizing it, even racist.

For the pontiff, “it’s not just about migrants: it’s about not excluding anyone, the current world is increasingly elitist and cruel with the excluded”.

He added: “developing countries continue to deplete their best natural and human resources for the benefit of a few privileged markets, wars affect only some regions of the world, but the manufacture of weapons and their sale is carried out in other regions, which then do not want to take care of the refugees that those conflicts generate. “

“It’s not just about migrants: it’s about putting the last ones in first place.” Jesus asks us not to give in to the logic of the world, which justifies abusing others to achieve our personal benefit or that of our group: first me and then the others! On the other hand, the true motto of the Christian is “first the last ones!” said Francisco.

He said that the answer to the challenge posed by contemporary migrations can be summarized in four verbs: “welcome, protect, promote and integrate”.

“If we put these verbs into practice, we contribute to building the city of God and of man, we promote the integral human development of all people and we also help the world community to approach the sustainable development goals that it has established and that, otherwise, they will be difficult to reach, “he said.

For Francisco, “not only is the cause of the migrants at stake, it is not just about them, but about all of us, the present and the future of the family.”