After the discussion about International Migration

Today the Vatican Press Centre published the conclusions reached as a result of the Holy See - Mexico Colloquium on international migration, organized by the Secretariat of State's Section for Relations with States and the Embassy of Mexico to the Holy See, with the collaboration of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and the Dicastery for Integral Human Development's Section for Migrants and Refugees.  The Colloquium took place last Thursday, 14 June, at the Vatican, at the Casina Pio IV.

Conclusions from the Colloquium on International Migration

The Holy See - Mexico Colloquium on International Migration which was held today is a continuation of the discussion that developed at the Mexican Chancellery in July 2014 on the topic of International Migration and Development, at the conclusion of which, it was agreed that this further meeting would be held at the Vatican.

The present gathering (2018) of the Colloquium has deepened three principal themes:

• progress and implications relating to the World Pact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration;
• migration and the development from the prospective of the World Pact; and
• Migration and global media in the light of the World Pact.

Having completed the Colloquium, we can together point out the following conclusions:

• In his Message addressed to the participants, the Holy Father, Pope Francis encouraged us in the task and our efforts so that responsibility for the global and shared oversight of international migration may find its strength in the values of justice, solidarity and compassion.  The Holy Father highlighted the fundamental attitude of going out to meet the other person, in order to welcome him, welcome him and recognize him.
• The Governor of Mexico reaffirms his commitment to making the World Pact for a Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration an instrument for transforming short-term and introspective visions to broad and human perspectives.
• For it's part, the Catholic Church in Mexico has decided to commit itself in favour of migrants, putting into practice four verbs that were launched by Pope Francis in his 2018 Message for the World Day of Migrants - to welcome, to protect, to promote and to integrate - thereby promoting a culture of encounter.
• We agree on the importance of understanding the complexity of contemporary migratory movements that obey multiple causes, and which many times are determined by situations of conflict, natural disasters, poverty and the search for better living conditions and opportunities.  Children are those who most often suffer the consequences of forced migration.  The challenges presented by these movements of people must be effectively met by balancing the principles of solidarity, subsidiarity and co-responsibility.
• We agree about the need to insist on the centrality of the human person in every political exercise, including those directed toward migratory flows, reaffirming the inviolability of human rights and the dignity of every human being.
• We agree about providing opportunities to commit to global governance of migratory flows, founded on the co-responsibility of all institutional and private actors, in order to ensure a safe, orderly and regulated migration for the benefit of all those concerned, and that it helps to generate conditions for migration to be a voluntary decision and not a necessity.
• For this reason, we wish to continue actively contributing to the process that will lead the United Nations to adopt a World Pact for Safe, Orderly and Regulated Migration in the course of this year.  Equally, considering the complexity of contemporary migratory flows, we believe it is important to insist upon the opportunity to harmonize the Pact with the World Refugee Pact.
• We are committed to promoting the fulfillment of the conditions necessary in order for all migrants to be able to enrich their receiving societies with their talents and abilities and, at the same time, contributing to sustainable development at local, national, regional and global levels.
• We ask all forms of media to contribute, according to their own abilities, to disseminate reliable and proven information concerning the flow of migrants and to dispel all sources that only create negative perceptions of migrants.

Vatican City

14 June 2018