Pope Francis: Faith of migrants and refugees bears witness to ‘hope for the future’

Vatican City, Mar 3, 2025 / 12:20 pm

Pope Francis on Monday announced the theme for the 111th World Day of Migrants and Refugees: “Migrants, Missionaries of Hope.”

This year, the Church will mark the World Day of Migrants and Refugees from Oct. 4-5 to coincide with the two-day celebration of the Jubilee of Migrants and the Missionary World. 

In 2018, Pope Francis moved the Church’s annual observance day dedicated to people on the move from January to the last Sunday of September.

In the Feb. 3 statement released by the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, the Holy Father chose this year’s theme to highlight the “courage and tenacity” of migrants and refugees, “who daily bear witness to their hope for the future despite the difficulties.”

“Migrants and refugees become ‘missionaries of hope’ in the communities where they are welcomed, often helping to revitalize their faith and promoting interreligious dialogue based on common values,” the Vatican statement said.

“They remind the Church of the ultimate goal of the earthly pilgrimage, that is, reaching the future homeland,” the statement continued. 

On Monday, the Vatican shared on Pope Francis’ X account: “Many migrants and refugees bear witness to hope through their trust in God.”

The first World Day of Migrants and Refugees was instituted by Pope Pius X in 1914, a few months before the outbreak of World War I, asking Catholics worldwide to pray and care for those leaving their homelands.