JRS gathered to walk together with displaced communities to celebrate the Jubilee of Migrants and the World Day of Migrants and Refugees, held on 4 and 5 October, which had “Migrants, Missionaries of Hope” as its theme. From Uganda to Italy, from the United States to the border between Ecuador and Peru, JRS offices organised pilgrimages, processions, Masses and public prayers together with refugees and the communities they serve.  

Through these symbolic acts of walking alongside forcibly displaced people, JRS brought communities together and inspired a global movement that builds bridges of hope and solidarity. 

“In the face of hostility and numbness, what saves us is community,” said Br Michael Schopf SJ, JRS International Director. “Solidarity lived out at the local level is what restores dignity, hope, and even policy.” 

In his message, Pope Leo XIV reminded us that migrants, refugees, and displaced persons are privileged witnesses of hope. They demonstrate this each day “through their resilience and trust in God, as they face adversity while seeking a future in which they glimpse that integral human development and happiness are possible.” 

At the same time, communities that receive migrants can themselves become witnesses of hope by “recognising migrants as brothers and sisters, part of a family in which they can express their talents and participate fully in community life.” 

In an increasingly divisive world, only by recognising our shared humanity can we break down barriers and create safe spaces for encounter, to build communities of solidarity, justice and hope that protect refugees and other forcibly displaced people.