By Arnold Neliba
KAMPALA, JULY 14, 2023 (CISA)-Journalists have been asked to change focus on reporting on migrants and refugees from emphasis on their sufferings and aspirations to the causes of their displacement and migration.
Cardinal Michael Czerny S.J Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development says the new focus will help connect with solutions that would end or heal their displacement.
“If we listen carefully to each migrant or refugee or displaced person, we discover that their strongest desire is to go back to their place and live with decency and security. But until the causes forcing them to flee are addressed, no solution is possible,” the Cardinal said in his message during the opening ceremony for a workshop of the Catholic Journalists on reporting issues of migrants and refugees.
Drawing from the Pope’s title ‘Free to Choose whether to Migrate or Stay’ for the 109th World Day of Migrants and Refugees to be held on September 23, Cardinal Czerny holds that as part of the solution, the importance of listening to those on the move and make them part of the solution.
He says journalists are in a privileged position to “listen to their cry and make their aspirations known to the world” and become contributors to the practice of good politics, bridging the aspirations of migrant people and offering recommendations towards possible solutions to their plight.
“It is important to listen to our siblings on the move since they should be protagonists of the solutions towards peace and development in their own countries. Let them express their aspirations,” he says further adding that “By promoting the right to remain in dignity and security in one’s own land, you are contributing to the good politics which is so badly needed.”
According to the Cardinal, the change of tact is in response to calls by Pope Francis and his vision towards eliminating causes for forced migration and refugees.
“This commitment begins with asking what we can do, but also what we need to stop doing. We need to make every effort to halt the arms race, economic colonialism, the plundering of other people’s resources and the devastation of our common home,” he quotes Pope Francis.
“I invite you to understand and value the opportunities that migrants offer as a way to bring new life to local communities. Their presence is a providential opportunity to fulfil the evangelizing mission through witness and charity,” Cardinal Czerny says underscoring that by so doing, Catholic journalists will “naturally promote effective cooperation among all entities and highlight the variety (not uniformity) the variety of Christian members as a wealth and the contributions of those displaced as an opportunity for a more robust and visible expression of the catholicity of our faith.”
According to the Cardinal, some of the factors contributing to migration and refugees are Famine, new and protracted conflicts, persecution, natural disasters and wars. The factors have forced around 35 million refugees to abandon their homes, crossing international borders and 71 million persons displaced internally.
The SIGNIS Africa Conference was opened on July 10 bringing together Catholic media professionals will run upto July 16. The conference aims at coming up with a SIGNIS Africa Media guidelines for Catholic media practitioners on reporting on migrants and refugees.
