Cardinal Luis Tagle, president of Caritas Internationalis, is calling on communities to oppose hate and fear by walking 1 million kilometers with migrants and refugees.
Cardinal Tagle will officially launch the Share the Journey global pilgrimage on Sunday 21st October in Rome by walking together with migrants and refugees.
Pope Francis launched Caritas Internationalis Share the Journey campaign on 27th September 2017. #sharejourney Copyright: Caritas/Stefano Schirato
The Share the Journey campaign, which was launched by Pope Francis, aims to bring communities closer together with migrants and refugees by organizing spaces and opportunities for the “culture of encounter”.
“The big challenge in this time of harsh divisions is to oppose a rhetoric of fear and hate with actions of love, kindness, and mercy, such as the ones proposed in our Share the Journey campaign,” said Cardinal Tagle.
“If the wars and poverty in the world today make you feel powerless, take back your power by connecting to migrants and refugees who flee other lands, and listen to their stories. By walking together and talking with each other we recognize a sister, a brother, a neighbor and ourselves.
“We realize that even though our world seems to be united in fear at the moment, we are also united in the hope of a better life and a peaceful future. A change in our hearts and in our communities starts with the decision to take one simple step with migrants and refugees,” said the Cardinal.
The Rome walk is one of many being organized around the world. Caritas organizations in Chile, New Zealand, Canada, the UK, and the USA have already started to walk with migrants and refugees. Many others are planning pilgrimages over the next six months. There are national Caritas organizations in over 160 countries worldwide.
Pope Francis launched the Share the Journey campaign in September 2017. On launching the campaign, he said, “Hope is the force that drives us to share the journey, because the journey is made jointly: by those who come to our land, and by us who go towards their heart, to understand them, to understand their culture, their language.”
The global walk is the latest united initiative promoted as part of the two-year campaign. In June 2018 Caritas organizations around the world organized shared meals with migrants and refugees in communities. Learn more here.
To learn more about the global pilgrimage or to download a walking guide click here.
