Inaugural address of our Superior - Academic Year 2018 - 2019

“Until Christ is formed in you” (Gal 4:19)

Claret Nivas, Kandy

01 October 2018

My dear brothers,

On the outset let me wish you all peace and blessings of the Lord.  I thank the Lord for the grace of our common faith in Jesus and the missionary vocation that we have received in and through this Congregation of the Missionaries Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and it is because of this we are here today.

 

On this time of our year when we begin our annual planning, I wish that we pose three questions: 1) Who are we? Why are we here? What are going to do? Who are we? Answer to this question gives the fundamental identity of each one of us individually as well as collectively as a community. I don’t delve in this question with the psychological analysis or response.  We can be tempted to answer based on “we are what we do, what others say about us, and what we have, or in other words: we are our success, we are our popularity, we are our power”.  All these are passing realities and false identity and illusion.   As believing people, the identity of Jesus is our identity that is to say: “We are God’s beloved children” chosen to follow his son Jesus in a special way in religious, missionary and priestly life”

Why are we here? St. Bernard a 12^th century monk who hailed from nobility with high quality education used to ask himself ever y day: “Bernard, Bernard ad quid venisti?” which means “Bernard, Bernard why have you come or Bernard, Bernard why are you here”? This self questioning helped Bernard to live his vocation meaningfully and faithfully leaving behind all his worldly wealth and possessions and to possess the greatest wealth and possession that raised him to sainthood.  Yes brothers, the question “why am I here:  leaving behind our families, acquainted food habits, countries, having decided to sacrifice the bodily pleasures etc.  We are here brothers because of our faith and special vocation in the Church through this missionary Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  This personal and communitarian question clarifies and purifies the purpose of our vocation and functioning of the community.

What are we going to do? Our special vocation“is the manifestation of the immeasurable riches of Christ, for this reason it is to be held in the highest esteem and cultivated with all diligence and concern, so that they can blossom and mature” (cf.RF 11). The present Pope has spoken in length and depth the formation of priests and consecrated people.  Here I quote the reflection given by our Pope on Priestly formation.  He says: “The theme of priestly formation is decisive to the mission of the Church: The renewal of faith and the future of vocations are possible only if we have well-formed priests.” He adds, “It is a work that requires the courage of letting ourselves be formed by the Lord, to transform our heart and our life.”  God is an artisan, moulding men in formation for the priesthood like potter’s clay, if the seminarian will allow the Lord to shape him. The one who allows the Lord to form him will prefer more than the noise of human ambitions, he will prefer silence and prayer; more than trust in his own works, he will know how to surrender himself to the hand of the potter and to His provident creativity; more than by pre-established mindsets, he will let himself be guided by a healthy restlessness of the heart, so as to direct his own incompleteness towards the joy of the encounter with God and with his brothers.” “If one does not allow oneself to be formed by the Lord every day, he becomes a spent priest, who drags himself through his ministry out of inertia, with neither enthusiasm for the Gospel nor passion for the people of God.” 

Our Congregation has from the time of our Founder given very rich and practical directions and guidelines regarding the formation of its missionaries. Our Constitutions spell out practical guidelines for the missionaries in formation:

“The period of studies is a time of formation for the pursuit of our mission... During this period of studies, our missionaries should cultivate their hearts as sell as their minds, keeping them open to the action of the Spirit and observing our own characteristic method of instruction.  Our scholastics should be especially diligent in the pursuit of sacred studies” (CC 72)

“In order to achieve an ever deeper and more mature appreciation of their vocation, let them earnestly learn, in the mist of changing world, to stand firmly and constantly by Christ according to our charism as set forth in the Constitutions.

They should confidently avail themselves of the help of their prefect and their spiritual director.

They should pray God unceasingly to make them fitting ministers of the divine Word, so that they may be able to spread his name and the kingdom of heaven throughout the world. As trusting sons, they should love and honour the Blessed Virgin Mary, whose special concern is the formation of Apostles” (CC 73)

“Our missionaries in formation should acquire an adequate knowledge of contemporary human, social and political conditions, so that in dealing with the circumstances of the modern world ...” (CC74)

“...During the period of formation, skills for the apostolate should be both learned and practiced” (CC 75)

Writing to me the General Prefect of formation says:“I believe that more than ever we have to invest more in the quality formation. As we demand quality academic performance from our students, we should also demand qualitative growth in other areas of their formation like in the spiritual, Claretian, charismatic, Christian, and human dimensions among others” (Leo, 27 September 2018).

Let us not give room to temptations:

In following Jesus, Peter wanted to stay with Jesus where it was everything beautiful and thus even gave directions what Jesus should do.  According to Jesus, Peter’s thinking was worldly or mundane, and not in line with the thinking and plan of God.  Jesus, very strongly and with very hard words corrected Peter saying go behind Satan.  Because I think that the Satan who tempted Jesus at the desert is working in Peter who would be heading the Church later, to take the easy and narrow way avoiding suffering and cross.   The same attitude of Peter can also creep in our personal as well as community level may be listing to the voice of the world and go behind its values that are often convincingly and attractively presented by the commercial world.

On one occasion addressing the Seminarians the Pope said: Dear Seminarians, what you are preparing for is not a profession, you are not training to work in a business or bureaucratic organization...You are becoming pastors in the image of Jesus, the good pastor.  Your aim is to resemble him and act on behalf of him... “if you are not willing to follow this path, with these attitudes and these experiences, and I say from the heart, without meaning to offend anyone – it is better to have the courage to seek another.  Following Christ in ministry allows no mediocrity.

We have begun our academic year with a time of Recollection, Eucharistic adoration, Holy Mass and orientation focusing on our intercultural living and Claretian formation. Our community this year consists of members from Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and India. We are from different countries but share the same faith and vocation.  We begin this new academic year with new hope, new insights, new vision, new enthusiasm.  Let us journey together joyfully under the formative shadow of the Holy Spirit and formative guidance of  our mother Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  May our Father Founder St. Claret and the Claretian Martyrs intercede for us.

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Surfboard

Life is also like surfing;

Every time challenges come like waves.

Life is so beautiful with

The experience of good and bad

For everything is God’s grace.

A person needs courage to stand

And face all the hardships in life.

Sea water is salty but also useful in various ways;

Mother Earth is surrounded by sea,

Where many things remain unseen.

All can enjoy swimming in the sea,

but if the sea itself also will swim, we would all perish.

To hum is what the sea does – but

its depth is a danger that lies silent.

Waves are melodious music as sunset

Is a glorious scene to behold.

Love is like the sea which is boundless,

Yet encompassing all.

By: Antony CMF

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THREE NEWLY ORDAINED DEACONS

Three Claretian Missionaries, Antony Mathuranayagam Abilas CMF, Edward Christy Parigtan Leenas CMF, Xavier Thipusious CMF were ordained deacons on 17th July 2018 at the Chapel of the St.Claret Minor Seminary, Kattuwa by His Lordship, Most Rev. Dr. Christian Noel Emmanuel, Bishop of Trincomalee. In his thought - provoking homily, he said that as we are missionaries, we need to act and involve ourselves in the mission of God according to the signs and needs of the time. 

By: C.Desmenraj

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THE FINAL STUDY- SESSION OF THE CARDINAL LARRAONA ACADEMY 2017-2018

The Final Study- session of the Cardinal Larraona Academy was held on the 21st of June, 2018 on the theme of "Wither the Church without the ministry of Reconciliation" ( The need for justice peace and reconciliation in our Evangelization). Rev. Fr. J.M.Joseph Jeyaseelan Cmf, was the Guest speaker of the day. It was an enriching and inspiring session. Thanks to Fr. J.M.J. Jeyaseelan cmf, for his inspiring insights shared with us...

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Reflexology

A New Ministry of Claret Nivas

(Foot Massage, the natural healing)

Reflexology (foot massage): We the Claret Nivas community starts for the people in Kandy. Reflexology is a very popular natural healing method of Asian countries like China and Japan.  This has been introduced among the Claretians in India over twenty years ago and now this healing mission is widely practised by the Claretians in different places of south Asian Continent.

This natural way of treating the people is being introduced to the people of Sir Lanka by our   Brothers trained in Reflexology and practised in India.

Benefits of Reflexology

• ·     No side effect
• ·     We can be healed without using medicine.
• ·     Sugar and B. P patients also can be healed.
• ·     It is possible to diagnose some of the problems in the body.
• ·     Long time diseases can be controlled.
• 
  
  

-          For more details contact -  081 2238572

By : Rubeshan, cmf.

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PERPETUAL AND FIRST PROFESSIONS

On September 8^th, 2017 was a significant and historically remarkable day for Sri Lankan Claretians. On this special and joy filled day Bros. Antony Mathuranayagam Abilas, Edward Christy Parigtan Leenas , Xavier Thipusious and Pakiyanathan Vinothan John made their final commitment in the congregation.

While eleven of our brothers namely Alex Kipson Antony Denoshan, Alveenas Rojes, Anthony Antony Vergen Lambert, Anthony Desmond Croos, Charles Mathews DesmenRaj, Philix Arulnesan Vinoraj, Gunaseelan Selexon, Kitnan Rubeshan, Pilendran Venansius, Sahayanathan Rajasekar Dias and Sebamalaimuthu Jeyaprakash made their first profession in the congregation.

At the same time seven of our brothers namely J. Dilan Rojan, A. Reginold Ronson, J. Donald Christy, Iresh Nimarshana Fernando, Y. Sutharson, K. Annroy and T.P. Johnson renewed their vows for one more year, at St. Anthony’s church, Rampakullam, Vavuniya.

Rev. Fr. Joseph Calistus CMF the provincial superior of German province presided over the solemn Eucharistic celebration and received the vows. Along with the Claretians, the relatives and friends of the candidates and the well-wishes of Claretians and a good number of religious and priests too joined at the celebration. 

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Called to Live the Spirit of the Founder and the Martyrs (Our Superior General's Message for the Feast of the Founder 2017)

The feast of our Founding Father this year is impregnated with special joy by the grace of the beatification of our 109 brothers, martyrs of the Spanish Civil War. The faithful surrender of this large group of missionaries, as well as that of many others - beatified or not - throughout our Congregational history are not isolated heroic deeds, but are an important part of the Claretian prophetic spirit. Our Founder lived this martyrial aspect of his spirituality with intensity, as I have expressed it recently in my letter to you on the beatification of our martyrs. The disposition to give a radical testimony of faith with the surrender of life, in the case of our Founder and our martyred brothers, was not an improvisation; on the contrary, it was the mature fruit of a process of transformation in Christ lived through his formation and his missionary journey. Fed by the Word of God, the Eucharist and the maternal love of the Heart of Mary, they experienced the strength to base their lives on God, to share fraternity in community and to spend their lives in missionary service. The fidelity of each day allowed them to live their vocation with joy and prepare themselves naturally for total and definitive dedication.

The XXV General Chapter, which we celebrated two years ago, invited us and continues to invite us to live in a constant process of personal and community transformation. It is a question of returning again and again to the root of our identity, which is our relationship with God (Worshipers of God in the Spirit), lived in community (Being a community of Witnesses and Messengers) committed to the mission (Congregation “going-forth”) (See MS, 64-75). Our Father Founder was a contemplative in action. His untiring apostolic activity began with a deep contemplation of God, hence all the time dedicated to personal prayer and the rich process of configuration with Christ-Eucharist. On the other hand, from the foundation of our Congregation, he never lived the mission alone; indeed, in Vic as well as in Cuba, in Madrid and in France, his house was always a missionary community. The so-called apostolic prayer of Father Claret perfectly embodies all these elements; may our life be more and more a constant process of transformation in which we seek - as persons and as missionary communities - to know, to love, to serve and to praise God, at the same time, that we make him known, loved, served and praised for the whole world (cf. Aut, 233).

May the feast of our Founding Father be a renewed stimulus to continue growing in our charismatic identification with him, following the example of our brother martyrs.

  Fr. Mathew Vattamattam CMFGeneral Superior

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SHORT HISTORY OF 109 CLARETIAN MARTYRS

These 109 Martyrs from the Spanish religious persecution in 1936, are addition to the previously beatified: 51 in Barbastro, 16 in Fernan Caballero and 7 in Terragona, with a total of 183 Claretian Missionaries glorified by the Church.

After the fall of the monarchy in 1931, the Republic was born strongly anti religious, as the chief of the Government, Mr.Manuel Azana used to express to the Congress, with his famous phrase: “Spain is no lo longer Catholic”. Furthermore, facing Spanish society with two irreconcilable sides, the left and the right wings (liberals and conservatives), until July 18, 1936 when revolution exploded, killing more than 600,000 people, between the two sides; among them 7,000 priest, religious and nuns were murdered. 

By Desmenraj 

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Call to follow the Apostolic style of Fr. Claret Tridum of Claretian Foundation Day

These days are remarkable for every Claretian missionary throughout the world, because these are significant days to re-call, re-visit and renew our spirit by tracing the spirit of our founder Fr. Anthony Mary Claret and his six companions who have founded this Congregation and which the spirit Claret is in work even today.

The Tridum we can interpret in the theological perspective as time of grace or kairotic time that has to see with our Trinitarian. Biblically number three means divine number “third day”. From this divine womb our Claretian Missionary Congregation has born to share the Word of God with everybody, specially the poor, who the theological place (God’s presence EG 198).

In the First Day of the Triduum, our Claret Nivas community has reflected on the Apostolic style of Fr. Claret, which is a fundamental call to be followed by every Claretian. Through his Life and Mission Fr. Claret has not only emphasized but also set an example and showed the need of being a missionary and to become the frontiers of the Gospel to reach out the peripheries.

As Claretian Missionaries, we prayed on the apostolic life of our founder, let us also renew our spirit to update ourselves by reading the signs of the time in order to become the sprit-filled missionary sons of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 

 By - K. Annroy Aravinth, cmf.

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Socio-ecological approach to our identity: Sons of Immaculate Heart of Mary

By - Efrain Vasquez Mamani, cmf.

1. Brief sketch on our context.

Our very context is built up on masculine and rationalistic culture, that means, the man has power over woman and whole nature, this power is handled with reason and technology. Thereby, the affectivity, the emotions and all related human heart sensitivity is look down or dislike, considers immature – childish, feminine-sided.

This understanding of the reality (Appolonious, Greek mythology), which is coming since 10 thousand years before, is destroying human dignity and all earth alike. The rationalism has as consequence the fragmentary mind setting of the reality, the relationship between human being himself, with the nature and God is broken and undermining the life.

The response to this rationalistic-fragmentarian of understanding of the reality is sensationalism (Dyunisious, Greek mythology), that emphasized the emotions, especially among the youth, for many of them are hard to think and analyze rationally the reality, it becomes a shallow approach to the reality.

Both cases drop-down to extreme, then result is fragmented and sensational human being, objects to consume what ever the marketing shows.

Then, the main challenge is how integrate this fragmented and consumerist human reality. The way is to reintegrate it again. In this sense there is term in Spanish Co-razonar, that mean integration of the reason with the heart ands vise verse. To deal with this reconstruction, becomes very important turn to our deep and meaningful religious and cultural roots, so that it may help us to embrace consciously our new reality.

Gratefully, as claretians, Sons of Immaculate Heart of Mary, with humble heart we are able to respond to this challenge from our very identity, rooted in the heart of our mother. So in the coming up paragraphs we are going to explore a bit our foundational water spring.

2. Anthro-spiritual description of the heart into three main dimensions: Somatic, Psyche and Spiritual.

-       Biological: One of the main part of our living body, it is inside of the body, it communicate with whole body and makes be alive whole parts of our body, it a restless organ, it accelerate and dis-accelerate according our psychological state ...

-       Psychical. Our feelings set up in our heart and stomach, the heart make balance with our mind: emotions and thoughts, symbolically it expresses love, compassion, tenderness, happiness and painfulness. Nevertheless, into an androcentric culture it tells us on our feminine dimension, mother-side, free-given earthiness (Erick Fronn, 1952)

-       Spiritual. Love, spirit, values and virtues, full-life, authentic happiness, new-being, the FIRING FORGE, etc.

3. Mary’s Heart in Claret’s experience.

At this respect, we have abundant resources in Marian spirituality written of our congregation such the “Selective Spiritual Writings of S.M. Claret” by J. Bermejo (1991), “Ex Abundantia Cordis” by J.M. Hernandez (1991), Claret’s “Autobiography”, and so on. In Spiritual Written, Claret makes the very graphical description about Mary’s Heart.

There are two aspects in which we must considerer in Mary’s Heart, namely, her material heart and her formal heart, which her love and will.

The material heart of Mary is the organ, sense or instrument of her love and will. Just as we see through the eyes, hear through the ears, smell through the nose and speak through the mouth, so we love and will through the heart…

The heart of Mary combines all these properties and more beside:

1)    The Heart od Mary not only a living member of Jesus Christ through faith and charity, bus was also the origin and wellspring from which His humanity was taken.

2)    The Heart of Mary was a temple of the Holy Spirit, and more than a temple, since from the most precious blood that flowed from this Immaculate Heart, the Holy Spirit formed the sacred Humanity in the most pure and virginal womb of Mary, in the great mystery of the incarnation.

3)    The Heart of Mary has been the organ of all the virtues in a heroic degree, and singularly in charity toward God and toward men.

4)    The Heart of Mary is at this very moment a living and animate heart, lifted up to the most sublime height of glory.

5)    The Heart of Mary is the throne from which all graces and mercies are dispensed (Bermejo, SW, 587)

On this detailed description, J.M. Hernandez affirms: “By Heart of Mary, S.A.M. Claret understands the real symbol of the person of Mary, which all of the dimensions of her personality: somatic, psychic and spiritual are integrating in a unified and dynamic way” (1991: 52).

The Christocentric understanding of Claret regard Mary’s Heart, as center of all virtues, especially center of the will and love, suggests us how Claret, being fruit of the rational metaphysics and part of mail center culture, was able to integrate deeply and metaphorically the reason and heart. This firing heart, full-power of the transformative Spirit, push out to the mission, it was the very understanding and feeling of Claret, “kindle in me the love of God and neighbor” (Aut 447), he used to pray. The love to God and neighbor as well as to the nature-earth, our common home are our urgent challenge in this XXI century.

4. Scripture reading: Lk 1:46-56.

5. Being for the mission in community.

The mission is our origin and life says our last Congregational Chapter Declaration (1), in the same way the former Chapter Document (2009) stressed our identity:

“The name [Sons of Immaculate Heart of Mary] emphasizes our condition as sons and brothers. It shows that we are human beings loved by God the Father and by Mary, our mother, in the Spirit; called to participate in the life of God (Gen 1:26); graced by the Spirit with filial and brotherly characteristics: dignity, liberty, confidence, joy, tenderness, compassion and solidarity. This allows us to face with hope the challenges of our mission and our personal and community life and not be like those who only rely on their own strength, methods or accomplishments (35).

The experience as sons gives meaning to our special commitment to the Heart of Mary, our Mother (CC, 8) which we make at our Profession: “I offer myself in special service to the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary in order to fulfil the aim for which this Congregation has been established in the Church” (cf CC 159; Dir 32-34). To be sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary means to be seekers of the glory of God who desires that all his sons and daughters live with dignity and fulfilment (cf CC 2; TMHL 8) and in harmony with all of creation. Our mission is more urgent at an historical moment when the name of God is hidden and considered banal, the rights of God’s needy children are violated and the survival of the planet is endangered (36).

From these two paragraphs come out the understanding of our contemporary mission related with humankind and with our common home, the earth. The mission today we are caller to understand and practice, not just as a sowing the seeds but also as harvesting the fruit, because God, before ours, has sowed by his Spirit into every culture, religion, etc. where there today abundant fruits.

The very mission of Jesus was to live and build God’s Rein, to transform the unjust reality, to enjoy the New Earth and New Heaven; this for us is to live and build the real creational community, wherein are integrating God, humankind and whole creation.

Prayer.

Mary, my Mother, Mother of Divine Love, I can ask for nothing more pleasing to you, nor anything that you are more ready to grant, than the love of God. Grant me this, my Mother and my love. My mother, I am hungry and thirsty for love; help me, satisfy my need. O Heart of Mary, forge and instrument of love, kindle in me the love of God and neighbor (Aut 447).

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MESSAGE OF POPE FRANCIS FOR THE WORLD DAY OF MIGRANTS AND REFUGEES 2017

[15 January 2017]

“Child Migrants, the Vulnerable and the Voiceless”

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

“Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me” (Mk 9:37; cf. Mt 18:5; Lk 9:48; Jn 13:20). With these words, the Evangelists remind the Christian community of Jesus’ teaching, which both inspires and challenges. This phrase traces the sure path which leads to God; it begins with the smallest and, through the grace of our Savior, it grows into the practice of welcoming others. To be welcoming is a necessary condition for making this journey a concrete reality: God made himself one of us. In Jesus God became a child, and the openness of faith to God, which nourishes hope, is expressed in loving proximity to the smallest and the weakest. Charity, faith and hope are all actively present in the spiritual and corporal works of mercy, as we have rediscovered during the recent Extraordinary Jubilee.

But the Evangelists reflect also on the responsibility of the one who works against mercy: “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin: it is better for him to have a great millstone fastened round his neck and be drowned in the depth of the sea” (Mt 18:6; cf. Mk 9:42; Lk 17:2). How can we ignore this severe warning when we see the exploitation carried out by unscrupulous people? Such exploitation harms young girls and boys who are led into prostitution or into the mire of pornography; who are enslaved as child laborers or soldiers; who are caught up in drug trafficking and other forms of criminality; who are forced to flee from conflict and persecution, risking isolation and abandonment.

For this reason, on the occasion of the annual World Day of Migrants and Refugees, I feel compelled to draw attention to the reality of child migrants, especially the ones who are alone. In doing so I ask everyone to take care of the young, who in a threefold way are defenseless: they are children, they are foreigners, and they have no means to protect themselves. I ask everyone to help those who, for various reasons, are forced to live far from their homeland and are separated from their families.

Migration today is not a phenomenon limited to some areas of the planet. It affects all continents and is growing into a tragic situation of global proportions. Not only does this concern those looking for dignified work or better living conditions, but also men and women, the elderly and children, who are forced to leave their homes in the hope of finding safety, peace and security. Children are the first among those to pay the heavy toll of emigration, almost always caused by violence, poverty, environmental conditions, as well as the negative aspects of globalization. The unrestrained competition for quick and easy profit brings with it the cultivation of perverse scourges such as child trafficking, the exploitation and abuse of minors and, generally, the depriving of rights intrinsic to childhood as sanctioned by the International Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Childhood, given its fragile nature, has unique and inalienable needs. Above all else, there is the right to a healthy and secure family environment, where a child can grow under the guidance and example of a father and a mother; then there is the right and duty to receive adequate education, primarily in the family and also in the school, where children can grow as persons and agents of their own future and the future of their respective countries. Indeed, in many areas of the world, reading, writing and the most basic arithmetic is still the privilege of only a few. All children, furthermore, have the right to recreation; in a word, they have the right to be children.

And yet among migrants, children constitute the most vulnerable group, because as they face the life ahead of them, they are invisible and voiceless: their precarious situation deprives them of documentation, hiding them from the world’s eyes; the absence of adults to accompany them prevents their voices from being raised and heard. In this way, migrant children easily end up at the lowest levels of human degradation, where illegality and violence destroy the future of too many innocents, while the network of child abuse is difficult to break up.

How should we respond to this reality?

Firstly, we need to become aware that the phenomenon of migration is not unrelated to salvation history, but rather a part of that history. One of God’s commandments is connected to it: “You shall not wrong a stranger or oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt” (Ex 22:21); “Love the sojourner therefore; for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt” (Deut 10:19). This phenomenon constitutes a sign of the times, a sign which speaks of the providential work of God in history and in the human community, with a view to universal communion. While appreciating the issues, and often the suffering and tragedy of migration, as too the difficulties connected with the demands of offering a dignified welcome to these persons, the Church nevertheless encourages us to recognize God’s plan. She invites us to do this precisely amidst this phenomenon, with the certainty that no one is a stranger in the Christian community, which embraces “every nation, tribe, people and tongue” (Rev 7:9). Each person is precious; persons are more important than things, and the worth of an institution is measured by the way it treats the life and dignity of human beings, particularly when they are vulnerable, as in the case of child migrants.

Furthermore, we need to work towards protection, integration and long-term solutions.

We are primarily concerned with adopting every possible measure to guarantee the protection and safety of child migrants, because “these boys and girls often end up on the street abandoned to themselves and prey to unscrupulous exploiters who often transform them into the object of physical, moral and sexual violence” (Benedict XVI, Message for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees, 2008).

Moreover, the dividing line between migration and trafficking can at times be very subtle. There are many factors which contribute to making migrants vulnerable, especially if they are children: poverty and the lack of means to survive – to which are added unrealistic expectations generated by the media; the low level of literacy; ignorance of the law, of the culture and frequently of the language of host countries. All of this renders children physically and psychologically dependent. But the most powerful force driving the exploitation and abuse of children is demand. If more rigorous and effective action is not taken against those who profit from such abuse, we will not be able to stop the multiple forms of slavery where children are the victims.

It is necessary, therefore, for immigrants to cooperate ever more closely with the communities that welcome them, for the good of their own children. We are deeply grateful to organizations and institutions, both ecclesial and civil that commit time and resources to protect minors from various forms of abuse. It is important that evermore effective and incisive cooperation be implemented, based not only on the exchange of information, but also on the reinforcement of networks capable of assuring timely and specific intervention; and this, without underestimating the strength that ecclesial communities reveal especially when they are united in prayer and fraternal communion.

Secondly, we need to work for the integration of children and youngsters who are migrants. They depend totally on the adult community. Very often the scarcity of financial resources prevents the adoption of adequate policies aimed at assistance and inclusion. As a result, instead of favoring the social integration of child migrants, or programmes for safe and assisted repatriation, there is simply an attempt to curb the entrance of migrants, which in turn fosters illegal networks; or else immigrants are repatriated to their country of origin without any concern for their “best interests”.

The condition of child migrants is worsened when their status is not regularized or when they are recruited by criminal organizations. In such cases they are usually sent to detention centers. It is not unusual for them to be arrested, and because they have no money to pay the fine or for the return journey, they can be incarcerated for long periods, exposed to various kinds of abuse and violence. In these instances, the right of states to control migratory movement and to protect the common good of the nation must be seen in conjunction with the duty to resolve and regularize the situation of child migrants, fully respecting their dignity and seeking to meet their needs when they are alone, but also the needs of their parents, for the good of the entire family.

Of fundamental importance is the adoption of adequate national procedures and mutually agreed plans of cooperation between countries of origin and of destination, with the intention of eliminating the causes of the forced emigration of minors.

Thirdly, to all I address a heartfelt appeal that long-term solutions be sought and adopted. Since this is a complex phenomenon, the question of child migrants must be tackled at its source. Wars, human rights violations, corruption, poverty, environmental imbalance and disasters, are all causes of this problem. Children are the first to suffer, at times suffering torture and other physical violence, in addition to moral and psychological aggression, which almost always leave indelible scars.

It is absolutely necessary, therefore, to deal with the causes which trigger migrations in the countries of origin. This requires, as a first step, the commitment of the whole international community to eliminate the conflicts and violence that force people to flee. Furthermore, far- sighted perspectives are called for, capable of offering adequate programmes for areas struck by the worst injustice and instability, in order that access to authentic development can be guaranteed for all. This development should promote the good of boys and girls, who are humanity’s hope.

Lastly, I wish to address a word to you, who walk alongside migrant children and young people: they need your precious help. The Church too needs you and supports you in the generous service you offer. Do not tire of courageously living the Gospel, which calls you to recognize and welcome the Lord Jesus among the smallest and most vulnerable.

I entrust all child migrants, their families, their communities, and you who are close to them, to the protection of the Holy Family of Nazareth; may they watch over and accompany each one on their journey. With my prayers, I gladly impart my Apostolic Blessing.

From the Vatican, 8 September 2016

FRANCIS

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