The world is aware of the existence of many hidden faces who, without scruples, promise paradises to the poorest in the world’s peripheries. And behind a few thousand euros or dollars, those faces, which initially present themselves as good Samaritans, end up revealing themselves as cruel evildoers, who abandon men, women, and children fallen by the wayside or deliver them to their fate in the waves of the sea, without hope and without a future, a prelude to death or, at least, to a collision with the harsh reality that awaits them on the beach,” said Virgílio Antunes at the Sanctuary of Fatima.
At the closing Mass of the August international pilgrimage, which includes the national pilgrimage of migrants and refugees, the vice-president of the Portuguese Episcopal Conference stated that the present “continues to be marked by Portuguese migrations.”
“The need for unwanted change persists among our young people, whether for study, research, work in more favorable conditions, or seeking fulfillment more suited to their life ideals,” added Virgílio Antunes.
To the approximately 50,000 participants in the celebration, the prelate recalled that while some immigrants choose the country “for the same reasons that lead Portuguese to leave,” many others do so “fleeing the scourges of poverty or war and in search of new life opportunities,” warning that for these, “uprooting and entering a new reality are causes of many difficulties.”
“Those who arrive among us also have to face the novelty of the unknown, the unknown in a foreign land that is always a source of apprehension and, not rarely, of immense loneliness,” he continued.
In his homily, the Bishop of Coimbra alluded to the image of home, emphasizing that it “is the dignified and necessary dwelling, essential to family life,” but also means “insertion into society, mutual welcome and respect.”
“How often do we hear migrants say ‘I already have a home, I already have a job, I already know people I care for and who care for me, I’m already integrated, I already feel at home, I’m already home.’ However, we also know that what is expected sometimes doesn’t happen. The home, society, becomes a place of rejection, the community sometimes becomes a place of discrimination, and work often becomes a means of exploitation,” he highlighted.
The president of the pilgrimage also emphasized that everyone needs a light and “God’s light goes ahead,” and its reflections “will be the lights of men, but also of States, organizations, institutions that accompany, protect, and help to open horizons of hope for the most vulnerable, such as exiles, refugees, and migrants.”
Regarding the sanctuary, where he was rector, the Bishop of the Diocese of Coimbra noted that Fatima “continues to be for migrants a stronghold of faith, a place of supplication and gratitude,” appealing to the Virgin to help “end wars” and “build a world of peace.”
At the Mass, which is being concelebrated by four bishops and 90 priests, the tradition of offering wheat, initiated 84 years ago, was fulfilled.
According to the sanctuary, last year, 5,635 kilograms of wheat and 477 of flour were offered. In that year, approximately 13,539 medium hosts, 410 large hosts, 659,000 particles, and 480 particles for celiacs were consumed.