Vatican City, Jan 15, 2006 / 22:00 pm
Speaking briefly yesterday, on the occasion of the World Day of Migrants and Refugees, Pope Benedict XVI called for an overcoming of “discrimination, injustice and disdain for the human person,” particularly in cases of migrants dwelling in foreign lands.
Following his weekly Angelus prayer, he began by pointing out that migration is "a very widespread phenomenon in today's world: it is one of the 'signs of the times' that presents itself in varying forms: migration can be voluntary or forced, legal or illegal, motivated by work or study."
"Although, on the one hand," he said, “some respect is shown for ethnic and cultural differences, difficulties remain with acceptance and integration."
For this reason, the Pope said that "the Church seeks to take advantage of the positive aspects of this sign of the times, while overcoming every form of discrimination, injustice and disdain for the human person, since all people are an image of God."