The Undersecretary of the Dicastery for the Service of Integral Human Development, Cardinal Fabio Baggio, gave an inspiring intervention at the International Assembly of ARCORES held on June 25 in Rome. With a profound focus on the challenges of migration, he encouraged the Augustinian Recollect family to be an active presence of the Church on the frontiers of the world.
An urgent call to get involved
“We have listened to one of the most authoritative voices on migration in the Church.“Cardinal Baggio, who shared with the representatives of the Augustinian Recollect solidarity network a profound and current reflection on the challenges of migration and the necessary pastoral responses, commented from ARCORES at the end of his intervention.
“The challenge we have as a Church is to serve our migrant brothers and sisters, reminding us that it is always Christ who knocks on our door,” said the Cardinal in a close and prophetic message.said the cardinal, in a close and prophetic message.
With updated data and a global outlook, the Cardinal pointed out that more than 281 million people are international migrants and more than 83 million are internally displaced by conflicts or natural disasters. Faced with these figures, the cardinal called on us not to give in to indifference or to narratives of fear.
Four verbs, one mission
Inspired by the magisterium of Pope Francis, Baggio insisted on the four verbs that summarize the Church’s action in the face of migration: welcome, protect, promote and integrate.
The response, he said, must be integral, prophetic and missionary, capable of touching not only social structures, but also hearts.
“It’s not just about migrants, it’s about all of humanity, about building an ever greater us together.“he said, quoting Fratelli tutti.
The Catholic face of hope
The Cardinal stressed that the Church must grow in its catholicity, that is, in its capacity to be universal, inclusive, reconciling and enriched by the diversity of peoples.
“Each migrant, each displaced person, carries with them a history, a culture, a faith that can revitalize our communities,” he said.he said.
He recalled that even Pope Leo XIV, recently elected, is himself “a descendant of immigrants who himself emigrated,” and his testimony embodies the experience of so many men and women who seek a better life without losing their dignity.
ARCORES, a network on the move
The Cardinal’s intervention was not only a diagnosis, but an encouragement for the Augustinian Recollect family, through ARCORES, to continue to be that Church that goes out and leaves no one behind. In Baggio’s own words:
“Migration is a theological place, a frontier where the Gospel becomes flesh. Thank you for being there, with the last ones, with the forgotten”.
An Assembly with a human face
This intervention was one of the central moments of the International Assembly of ARCORES held in Rome, which brought together members of the network from more than twenty countries to renew their commitment to a transforming charity based on the Augustinian charism.
The day left a certainty: the Church is called to be a community of encounter, a house open to all, and the Augustinian Recollects, together with ARCORES, want to continue building it step by step, with hope, justice and fraternity.
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