Jenny Cafiso
Wilfreda, a grandmother who had been forced to flee from Colombia, and was living in Ecuador, once told me, “The sorrow of the refugees is a sorrow that has no end.”
In the 30 years that I have been involved in Jesuit social justice work, I have witnessed firsthand the challenges that forcibly displaced persons face in their quest for a better, peaceful life. While their experiences vary, most often they face harsh, restrictive migration policies, discrimination, hunger, lack of health care, and shelter.
By May 2024, there were 120 million people forcibly displaced by war, conflict, violence, persecution, human rights abuses, and the adverse effects of climate change, according to the latest Global Trends report from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The number could rise to 130 million people by December, said the UNHCR.
It is an increasingly desperate situation that demands the world’s attention and action.
In 1980, shocked by the reality of refugees, then Father General Pedro Arrupe SJ, said it “constituted a challenge to the Society of Jesus we cannot ignore.” Jesuits are committed not only to building “a culture of hospitality and solidarity,” but also to advocating for “compassionate and humane policies that honour the inherent dignity of every person.”
In line with this and the commitment of “walking with the excluded” underlined in the Universal Apostolic Preferences, Canadian Jesuits International (CJI) is focusing on the rights of forcibly displaced people in this Fall newsletter and in our upcoming events.
It is my hope that the articles in this issue will provide you with insights into the causes of involuntary migration, inform you about the projects CJI is supporting to address the issue, and encourage you to help those who either seek a safe place to rebuild their lives or yearn for peace so they can return to their homes. Jesuit organizations around the world, including CJI, support programs that provide humanitarian relief, spiritual and psychosocial support, legal aid, education, temporary shelter, and other assistance in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
As Pope Francis said in his message for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees, “putting an end to forced migration calls for shared commitment on the part of all, in accordance with the responsibilities of each. This commitment begins with asking what we can do, but also what we need to stop doing. We need to make every effort to halt the arms race, economic colonialism, the plundering of other people’s resources and the devastation of our common home.”
