Washington D.C., Jun 20, 2019 / 14:35 pm
Today, on World Refugee Day, the world marks the highest number of forcibly displaced people in nearly 70 years. In their statement marking the day, the U.S. bishops said "the world is embroiled in the biggest migratory crisis since World War II with more than 25 million refugees around the world."
A new report from the United Nations refugee agency found that more than 70 million people were displaced from their homes worldwide in the year 2018.
The UN counts in this number anyone who was displaced from their home "as a result of persecution, conflict, violence, or human rights violations" at the end of 2018. The numbers included 13.6 million people who were newly displaced this year, which amounts to about 37,000 people who are displaced from their homes every day, the report notes. The other 67 million had been displaced in other years, and are still living as displaced persons.
"We have seen the images of the refugee crisis, and World Refugee Day calls attention to the critical need to assist our refugee brothers and sisters and make them feel a sense of welcome," Bishop Joe S. Vásquez of Austin, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' (USCCB) Committee on Migration, said in a statement.