VATICAN - "In the current social and political context, however, even before the right to migrate, there is need to reaffirm the right not to emigrate," says the Pope

Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - The right of a person to emigrate is recognized as a fundamental human right. "In the current social and political context, however, even before the right to migrate, there is need to reaffirm the right not to emigrate, that is, to remain in one’s homeland," said the Holy Father Benedict XVI in his message for the 99th World Day of Migrants and Refugees, which will be celebrated on Sunday, January 13, 2013, on the theme "Migrations: pilgrimage of faith and hope."
The document stresses that today "many migrations are a result of economic instability, the lack of essential goods, natural disasters, wars and social unrest. Instead of a pilgrimage filled with trust, faith and hope, migrate then becomes an "ordeal" undertaken for the sake of survival, where men and women appear more as the victims than as agents responsible for the decision to migrate." Recognizing the right of each state to implement migration policies dictated by the general needs of the common good, "but always ensuring respect for the dignity of every human person," the Pope noted that "the process of integration entails rights and duties, attention and concern for the dignified existence of migrants; it also calls for attention on the part of migrants to the values offered by the society to which they now belong."
Illustrating the theme of the upcoming Day, the Post points out that "faith and hope are inseparable in the hearts of many migrants, who deeply desire a better life nad not infrequently try to leave behind the hopelessness of an unpromising future. At the same time, many journeys are sustained by the deep trust that God never abandons his children and that this makes the pain of their uprooting more tolerable. " The Church and its organizations, for a long time have been present on the various fronts of migration, are still invited "to avoid offering charitable services alone, in order to promote real integration in a society where all are active members and responsible members for one another’s welfare, generously offering a creative contribution and righfully sharing in the same rights and duties. " (SL) (Agenzia Fides 30/10/2012)