On Friday, 13 November, a conference entitled “The Catholic World for and with Migrants: Ten Years of Good Practices for Welcoming, Protecting, Promoting and Integrating” was held at the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (UCSC) in Milan. The event, organised to encourage reflection on the Catholic community’s commitment to working for and with migrants and refugees, was also attended by Cardinal Fabio Baggio, CS, Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development (DPIHD).
During the conference, the findings of two pastoral reports were presented: the Report on the Pastoral Care of Migrants in Europe, produced by the WWELL (Welfare, Work, Enterprise, Lifelong Learning) Research Centre, and the Report Human Mobility and Migration in Africa, prepared by SIHMA (Scalabrini Institute for Human Mobility in Africa). The publications highlight good practices implemented by various Catholic organisations to accompany those forced to leave their homes.
The proceedings opened with welcoming remarks by Bishop Claudio Giuliodori, General Ecclesiastical Assistant of the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, followed by an introduction from Professor Laura Zanfrini, Full Professor of Sociology of Migration and Interethnic Relations at UCSC and Scientific Director of the European Report. Professor Giovanni Giulio Valtolina, Full Professor of Intercultural Psychology at UCSC and Co-Scientific Director of the European Report, then addressed the conference, followed by Fr Filippo Ferraro, former Director of SIHMA and Scientific Director of the African Report.
Since 2017, the DPIHD has promoted the preparation of pastoral reports to highlight initiatives and projects undertaken in different parts of the world in response to the various dimensions of migration. The reports presented at the conference focus in particular on effective programmes operating in Europe and Africa, two continents characterised by complex and interconnected migration dynamics. Drawing on the Holy Father’s Message for the 111th World Day of Migrants and Refugees, entitled “Migrants, Missionaries of Hope”, the reports examine pastoral challenges and the commitment of Catholic organisations in the light of integral human development, with particular emphasis on 2025.
The two reports form part of a series of publications issued by the DPIHD as practical resources for developing plans and projects aimed at accompanying migrants and refugees throughout the different stages of their journeys. These initiatives also recognise the freedom to choose whether to migrate or remain, with the aim of building an inclusive and supportive future together.