Families from Central America and Mexico in ‘a biblical Exodus’

This Sunday, September 29, marks the World Day of Prayer for Migrants and Refugees. For several years now, we have witnessed a biblical Exodus of migrant and refugee

, as well as from many other nations, journeying to our southern border to seek asylum. They have been met with “Zero Tolerance,” the name given to these harsh and cruel policies by the current administration.

Scott Wright, Director of the Columban Center for Advocacy and Outreach, has been a witness to this trauma, and reflects on what he’s seen in an article published here.

The image above is an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe and child behind chains, used during the process at the Catholic Day of Action against child detention in Newark, New Jersey, earlier this month. (See: “Cardinal Tobin joins hundreds of Catholics protesting immigration detention.“)

Pope Francis has issued a message to mark the day. The subtitle of Pope Francis’ message is “It is not just about migrants.” The full statement is here. It reads in part:

In a word, it is not only the cause of migrants that is at stake; it is not just about them, but about all of us, and about the present and future of the human family. Migrants, especially those who are most vulnerable, help us to read the “signs of the times”. Through them, the Lord is calling us to conversion, to be set free from exclusivity, indifference and the throw-away culture. Through them, the Lord invites us to embrace fully our Christian life and to contribute, each according to his or her proper vocation, to the building up of a world that is more and more in accord with God’s plan.