Migrants Are People, Not Numbers, Says Pope

VATICAN CITY, JAN. 16, 2012 (Zenit.org).- Marking Sunday's World Day of Migrants and Refugees, Benedict XVI recalled that there are millions of people involved in migration, but they are not numbers. 

"They are men and women, children, young people and old people who seek a place where they can live in peace," the Pope declared from the window of his study, where he had led those gathered in St. Peter's Square in praying the Angelus.

The Holy Father referred to his message for the world day, which he dedicated to the theme of migrants and evangelization.

"Migrants," he stated, "are not only recipients but also protagonists of the proclamation of the Gospel in the contemporary world."