Catholics will mark the World Day of Migrants and Refugees during the ecumenical celebration of the Season of Creation, highlighting the obligation, as Pope Francis says, to listen to the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor, said Canadian Cardinal Michael Czerny.
“With Pope Francis, we hope to come out of the COVID crisis better than before: more welcoming, more cooperative, more sharing, more attentive to the needs of our common home and everyone in it, and closer to our loving God and creator,” said the cardinal, who is undersecretary at the Migrants and Refugees Section of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development.
The Catholic Church and Christians around the world mark Sept. 1 as the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation and celebrate the Season of Creation from that date through Oct. 4, the feast of St. Francis of Assisi. The World Day of Migrants and Refugees is Sept. 27.
The “common thread” among the celebrations, especially in 2020, the cardinal said, “is our common home in which the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor are one cry.”
“Among those forced to flee are those driven from their homes by the climate crisis, which takes many different forms around the world: fires, flooding, drought, storms, etc.,” the cardinal told Catholic News Service Aug. 26.
And, he noted that in Pope Francis’ message for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees, he wrote: “To preserve our common home and make it conform more and more to God’s original plan, we must commit ourselves to ensuring international cooperation, global solidarity and local commitment, leaving no one excluded.”
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With thanks to Catholic News Service (CNS) and Cindy Wooden, where this article originally appeared.
