The pope intervened in the meeting on refugees organized by the International Federation of Catholic Universities. The idea was to exchange impressions about how the universities must act in response to the crisis.
POPE FRANCIS
“An essential aspect of the training (that you all give) points to the social responsibility of constructing a more just and human world.”
The pope proposed very concrete measures for this crisis to the universities.
First, that “they study the remote causes of forced migration, and that they look for solutions that guarantee the right to not have to migrate.”
He also asked them to investigate why people react in a “discriminatory and xenophobic” way “toward the reception of immigrants” and that they propose “means of awareness training.”
Pope Francis wants universities to help “value immigrants' contribution to society” and that they look for creative ways to give university training to these people, such as online courses for refugee centers or recognizing academic degrees obtained in refugees' countries.
Today, there are 65 million people who are either displaced or in refuge. At the moment, at least 12 universities have decided to propose a just and human reflection on what they are witnessing.
