World Day for Migrants: Cardinal in CAR Urges Demolition of “walls of selfish comfort”

He continued, “We are all brothers and sisters. In our country, the Central African Republic, the essential needs expressed by migrants and refugees – the need for security, peace, health, education and schooling for their children – can only be met if we succeed in disarming our hearts with a renewed and urgent appeal for brotherhood and love.”

“For the Church in particular, the question of migrants and refugees, one of the major challenges of our time, is an integral part of her mission. And her concern in this area is based on the need for fraternity and solidarity between people, in the name of the Gospel.” Cardinal Nzapalainga said.

He went on to caution against the attitude of indifferences, saying, “It is therefore impossible for our ecclesial conscience to remain indifferent to the inhuman conditions in which so many migrants and refugees live, whether outside or inside our borders.”

The Spiritan Cardinal emphasized the mission of the Church, which he said seeks to “to welcome and listen to” those in inhuman situations, “to accompany them, support them and help them in their legitimate quest for living conditions that respect their dignity.”

“The Church is continually reminded that it is responding to a call, that it does not and cannot in any way have a personal agenda, since the mission it receives comes from another, from Christ Himself,” Cardinal Nzapalainga said during Holy Mass on the occasion of WDMR 2023 on September 24.

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Jude Atemanke is a Cameroonian journalist with a passion for Catholic Church communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Buea in Cameroon. Currently, Jude serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.