Accra, 17 December, 2019 / 11:15 pm (ACI Africa).
As the world prepares to celebrate the mystery of the incarnation, God becoming man, and the events that followed thereafter, Bishops in the West African nation of Ghana have, in their Christmas message, used the example of the Holy Family fleeing to Egypt to seek refuge to highlight the challenges migrants go through and termed as “unchristian and unacceptable any acts of discrimination, stereotyping and physical attacks” against those seeking refuge.
“For many years now, Africans migrating to mostly Europe and America, have had to endure all kinds of discrimination and exploitation and often times, death,” the Bishops stated, noting that the festivities of Christmas bring their “attention to the phenomenon of global migration.”
They added in their December 16 message, “In more recent times, some migrants within some African countries have had to endure similar predicament at the hands of their fellow Africans.”
Recalling the Biblical story where the Holy Family of Joseph, Mary and Jesus fled to Africa (Egypt) for refuge to escape King Herod’s death threats, the Bishops urged Africans in general and Ghanaians in particular to not only rejoice that the continent served as a sanctuary for Jesus Christ but also reciprocate this Scriptural gesture by remaining hospitable to migrants
“We consider it unchristian and unacceptable any acts of discrimination, stereotyping and physical attacks on Africans and other people in any part of the world, but particularly in Africa, the continent where the Saviour found refuge,” the Bishops stated in their collective message as Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference (GCBC).
