Over the last ten years, the number of persons forcibly displaced from their homes due to conflict and human rights violations has grown each year.
And now for the first time, the number of recorded refugees in the world has surpassed 100 million.
CHIARA CARDOLETTI
UNHCR Representative to the Holy See
Migration has always existed, but migration at these levels maybe not.
At an event hosted in Rome by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees for World Refugee Day, the UN Agency's representative to the Holy See said that voices such as the Pope's on the global stage, are key in drawing attention to the unprecedented migration crisis facing the world.
CHIARA CARDOLETTI
UNHCR Representative to the Holy See
Surely the Holy Father has a fundamental role. He speaks very clearly about what is pushing refugees to flee their homes, and of the importance of creating a more just and supportive world more capable of welcoming [others].
In particular, she stresses the role of the Vatican as an open channel of communication among world leaders that supports dialogue among them in addressing the root causes of migration.
CHIARA CARDOLETTI
UNHCR Representative to the Holy See
The possibility of dialogue is essential. [We] must never stop talking and looking for ways bring people to understand where things begin, and why we are where we are.
The plight of migrants and refugees is such a priority for Pope Francis, in fact, that he instituted the Church's own day Migrants and Refugees, to be celebrated on September 25.
JM
