World Day of Migrants and Refugees

"Migrants seeking a better life in the host country are not aliens, but rather our brothers and sisters. They are to be welcomed in the local churches and parishes," said archbishop Victor Henry Thakur of Raipur, and chairman of the CCBI Commission for Migrants.

The World Day of Migrants and Refugees is celebrated on the last Sunday of September every year. This year it was on September 25.

Bishop Narciso Abellana of the CBCP Episcopal Commission for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People (ECMI) said that “God’s inclusive love” enjoins people to regard migrants and refugees as “co-builders and co-citizens”.

Responding to the Pontiff's call, the Migrants and Refugees Section is taking steps to move forward on our shared journey to ensure that "after all this, we will think no longer in terms of 'them' and 'those', but only 'us.'"