A cartoon about the Samoa measles epidemic has led some to ask if much has changed in New Zealand. New Zealand does not have a great track record in its relationship with Samoa: The influenza epidemic killed over 22% of Samoa’s population in 1918, a disease that was introduced to Samoa by sick passengers on board a ship from Read more
Calling us to create a ‘culture of encounter,’ Pope Francis asks us to reach out with open arms to migrants and refugees around the world and in our communities. In 2017, the Pontiff launched Caritas’ Share the Journey (STJ) international campaign from St Peter’s Square in Rome. Last Sunday marked the launch of a key Read more
New figures show the government has slashed resident visa numbers to the lowest seen in the last two decades. The decrease in resident numbers in the last year is largely because of delays in processing. “It’s not clear whether that is part of the way they’re bringing the numbers down because they have a target Read more
Pope Francis has been bombarded with insults after urging Catholics to pray for migrants. “Migrants are first of all human persons, and they are the symbol of all those rejected by today’s globalised society,” he tweeted on Monday. However, Italian Twitter users were unimpressed with his views. Some responded asking Francis to think instead of Read more
The devastating picture of Óscar Alberto Martínez Ramírez and his 23-month-old daughter, Valeria, lying face down in the muddy waters of the Rio Grande jolted the nation. We could no longer look away. The tragedy of a father and daughter from El Salvador drowning while he tried to save her from being swept away by Read more
“The signs of meanness we see around us heighten our fear of ‘the other,’ the unknown, the marginalized, the foreigner,” and thus many migrants seeking a better life end up as recipients of this meanness, said Pope Francis in his recently released 2019 World Day of Migrants and Refugees message. The Holy Father warned that Read more
On December 10-11, the United Nations will convened at an intergovernmental conference in Marrakech, Morocco to sign the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM), establishing global agreement on a common approach toward international migration. In 2016, the 193 members of the UN – including New Zealand – agreed unanimously that protecting those Read more
German immigration policies have seen left and right wing groups clashing in sometimes violent protests in several major cities. Thousands of people rallied on Sunday to demand the country help with missions to rescue migrants stranded at sea. The demonstrations, organised by a range of Catholic and Protestant civic groups, were part of a Europe-wide Read more
Aucklander Laura McLellan says her experience working as a teacher Ranong, South Thailand, has had an immense impact on the way she sees her world and the people in it. Laura is working with a Marist community teaching English and social studies within the Burmese migrant community. She was a volunteer in the Marist Youth Read more
Members of St Vincent de Paul in Paris are helping migrants by providing practical and spiritual help. Coordinating Catholic aid is Jerome Perrin, president of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in Paris. Read more