āTo be close in order to serveā ā Displaced persons and ŠÓMAPµ¼ŗ½ās Migrants Day message
By Vatican News
ŠÓMAPµ¼ŗ½ Francis has dedicated his to the theme: āForced like Jesus Christ to fleeā.
The World Day will be commemorated on Sunday, 27 September 2020.
āFears and prejudices ā a lot of prejudices - cause us to keep our distance from others and often prevent us from getting close to Jesus Christ and serving Him with love.ā
Fleeing from home, alone
The Vaticanās Migrants and Refugees Section released a video on Thursday, entitled āTo be close in order to serveā.
In the video, a man named Tijan reflects on his experience of fleeing war in Sierra Leone.
āBack in 1996, I had to leave my village because of war,ā he says. āI was 6-years-old. They arrived in our village, Namasadu ā Sierra Leone ā at around 4 AM. My sister, my mother, and I were at home, while my father was working on the farm that we owned.ā
Tijan says the soldiers took his brother, Omar, and turned him into a child soldier.
His mother, says Tijan, brought him to a nearby Center, to stay with several religious sisters. She then went back home to retrieve Tijanās sister. āShe did not return that day,ā he says.
Always ready to help
The sisters didnāt speak his dialect so he understood little. āOnly later did I realize that they wanted to help me. Fear was a constant companion. I was especially scared because they were white.ā
Tijan says the sisters always tried to help, encourage, and reassure the children.
āThose who arrived at the Center received help, support, and love,ā he says. āBecause, when you flee from your home, you have nowhere to go. But at the Center there is always food, and a bed for you. There are also many other children.ā
Those sisters, says Tijan, āsaved us! They saved not only me, but also thousands of children who arrived there alone without parents.ā
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