“All together, in this way we will become a more humane community, one big family,” continued Pope Francis. “Let us open our hearts to refugees let us make their sorrows and their joys our own let us learn from their courageous resilience!,” he declared after having cited in his catechesis the call to help migrants who drown at sea. Sunday, June 20, after the Angelus prayer, Pope Francis himself was keen to stress World Refugee Day, promoted by the United Nations on the same Sunday. “The Holy Father has been a source of inspiration for all of this,” continued Cardinal Tagle, explaining how Francis encouraged reception, protection, promotion, and integration, four fundamental principles that the pope, in his message for World Migrant and Refugee Day 2018, indicated as responses to the challenges posed by contemporary migration. These initiatives show the usefulness “of concrete acts of love.” he stressed, and bring “holy pride” to the Catholic Church. The Philippine cardinal urged states not to shut themselves up in selfishness and fear of foreigners: “At a time when the Covid-19 is supposed to lead to global solidarity, the end of the global campaign of Caritas Internationalis is an invitation to continue to share the journey with migrants, especially at this very difficult time.” It gave rise to a vast program of solidarity in favor of migrants, which was relayed by the national branches of Caritas Internationalis.

Launched in 2017 by Pope Francis, this campaign was followed by the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples and the Dicastery for the Service of Integral Human Development. On June 15, 2021, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, spoke at the close of the “Share the Journey” campaign, supported by Caritas Internationalis.

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