Dignity of the migrant person

Pope Leo XIV, during his apostolic visit to Spain, met with those who deal with the reception of migrants at the port of Arguinegín on June 11th. He listened to several testimonies that recounted the best that exists in the human heart when welcoming those seeking a more dignified life. The testimony of a migrant woman, Blessing, who is currently at risk of death after a very difficult and suffering life at the hands of human traffickers, was particularly impactful and was read aloud by another woman.

Here is the Holy Father's response:

“Dear Blessing, although you are not here today, your voice is. Thank you for sharing your story with us. Your name means blessing and reminds us that every human life is a blessing from God. No one can buy it, sell it, use it or discard it, because in every person shines the image and likeness of the Creator (cf. Gn (1, 27). You told us that you fled your country not because you wanted to, but because there was no other option. In your words, we hear the drama of so many people forced to leave because poverty, war, threats, or exploitation blocked all their paths. I would like this message to reach you and so many women who are victims of trafficking and exploitation: if others have placed a price on your body, God has never ceased to look upon you as someone of incalculable value. If they wanted to imprison you in a past of pain, God continues to pronounce a promise of the future upon you. If they treated you as a thing, the Church wants to tell you today: you are a daughter, you are a sister, you are a blessing. Your life does not belong to those who have wronged you; your body does not belong to those who have taken advantage of you; your days do not belong to those who wanted to chain them to fear. Your life belongs to God and retains a dignity that cannot be taken from you. And we want to walk with you until that truth is felt again in a way that is stronger than the pain.”