Pope Francis added that he would like to encourage a pastoral response which emphasizes listening, understanding, serving, growing, and cooperating.
"Building the Kingdom of God is a duty common to all Christians, and for this reason it is necessary that we learn to cooperate, without yielding to the temptation to jealousy, discord and division," he said.
He also emphasized that "when we talk about migrants and displaced persons, all too often we stop at statistics. But it is not about statistics, it is about real people!"
"If we encounter them, we will get to know more about them," the pope continued. "We will be able to understand, for example, that the precariousness that we have come to experience as a result of this pandemic is a constant in the lives of displaced people."
He called the streets' newfound silence because of the pandemic, an opportunity "to listen to the plea of the vulnerable, the displaced and our seriously ill planet."
Pope Francis concluded his message with a prayer he said is inspired by the example of St. Joseph when he was forced to flee to Egypt to save the child Jesus:
Father, you entrusted to Saint Joseph what you held most precious: the child Jesus and his Mother, in order to protect them from the dangers and threats of the wicked.
Grant that we may experience his protection and help. May he, who shared in the sufferings of those who flee from the hatred of the powerful, console and protect all our brothers and sisters driven by war, poverty and necessity to leave their homes and their lands to set out as refugees for safer places.
Help them, through the intercession of Saint Joseph, to find the strength to persevere, give them comfort in sorrows and courage amid their trials.
Grant to those who welcome them some of the tender love of this just and wise father, who loved Jesus as a true son and sustained Mary at every step of the way.
May he, who earned his bread by the work of his hands, watch over those who have seen everything in life taken away and obtain for them the dignity of a job and the serenity of a home.
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We ask this through Jesus Christ, your Son, whom Saint Joseph saved by fleeing to Egypt, and trusting in the intercession of the Virgin Mary, whom he loved as a faithful husband in accordance with your will. Amen.
Hannah Brockhaus is Catholic News Agency's senior Rome correspondent. She grew up in Omaha, Nebraska, and has a degree in English from Truman State University in Missouri.