God especially loves his children who are poor and in need, and we are called to help and defend them. Rather than more restrictive laws and the militarization of borders, what is needed is an expansion of secure and regular means of access, and a global governance of migrations based on justice, fraternity and solidarity. May we not turn a blind eye to these brothers and sisters, support those who seek to assist them and, above all, pray fervently for just solutions to this grave humanitarian crisis.
Pope Francis, 2024
Jubilee 2025: Pilgrims of Hope
The Jubilee is a special year in the life of the Church, celebrated every 25 years, it is ‘an opportunity to renew our own commitment to Christ and to renew society, to make it more just, more in conformity to God’s vision for humanity’[1]. It is a time of pilgrimage, forgiveness, and justice, with a particular focus on those who suffer exclusion or oppression.
Migrants and refugees are modern-day pilgrims of hope, embodying the theme for Jubilee 2025.
Migrants and refugees are often forced to flee violence, poverty or persecution and they depart on their journey with deep faith in the possibility of a better future. They are hopeful of finding sanctuary, of finding a new home and of building a future. They undertake often treacherous journeys, exposed to harsh terrain and restrictive border policies. It is their ‘hope of happiness beyond borders that leads them to entrust themselves totally to God’[2].
Pope Francis, in his papal bull Spes non confundit, emphasised that Christian hope is grounded in God’s love from which nothing and no-one can separate us, thus sustaining us and enabling us to move forward in life[3]. Pope Francis encourages us to read the sign of the times and be at the forefront of fostering hope. He specifically references the plight of migrants and refugees, calling on us to ensure a spirit of welcome and embrace everyone with respect for their dignity, and to defend their right to a dignified existence.
In his 2024 World Day of Migrants & Refugees (WDMR) message, Pope Francis invited us to walk alongside migrants and refugees, noting that ‘it is possible to see in the migrants of our time, as in those of every age, a living image of God’s people on their way to the eternal homeland’[4]. Pope Francis referenced the journeys of hope taken by refugees and migrants, with ‘God as their travelling companion, guide and anchor of salvation’[5]. For this year’s WDMR on 05 October, Pope Francis expanded on last year’s message and chose the theme of ‘Migrants, missionaries of hope’, to highlight the ‘courage and tenacity’ of migrants and refugees as they ‘bear witness to hope for the future despite difficulties.
This Jubilee year, Spes non confundit is a call to action for the Catholic community. It is a latin phrase for ‘hope does not disappoint’ and if we truly believe in it, we must act to make hope real. For millions of refugees and displaced people around the world, hope is the driving force that carries them through danger, loss and uncertainty, but violent borders and exclusionary policies force people to take treacherous journeys and risk exploitation by traffickers, leading to loss of life. Spes non confundit reflects a commitment to preserving human dignity and fostering hope amidst adversity. It calls on communities to respond with compassion, justice and solidarity, reminding us that welcoming the stranger is not merely a charitable act, but a moral obligation grounded in shared humanity. It demands public solidarity and policy change to ensure refugees are not abandoned to despair or danger. By advocating for safe routes, we can make hope visible.
To complement the previously published guides and toolkits, we have developed this Guide to Safe Routes to assist communities to better understand the existing programmes and schemes available in the UK, their limitations and the need for safe routes, as well as the journeys taken by refugees. To read through the guide, please click on the tiles below.
We encourage the extension of safe routes such as resettlement programmes, visa schemes and humanitarian corridors, so that people can exercise their right to migrate in a dignified and humane manner.
Love The Stranger, principle 9
[1] https://dojustice.co.uk/jubilee-message-from-our-ceo/
[2] https://www.humandevelopment.va/en/news/2025/giornata-mondiale-del-migrante-e-del-rifugiato-2025.html
[3] https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/bulls/documents/20240509_spes-non-confundit_bolla-giubileo2025.html
[4] https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/messages/migration/documents/20240524-world-migrants-day-2024.html
[5] https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/messages/migration/documents/20240524-world-migrants-day-2024.html
Image: Little Amal in London Credit: Catholic Church England and Wales on Flickr
