The future with migrants and refugees

“Building the future with migrants and refugees” was the title of the 19th diocesan conference held by the Migrantes diocesan office in the hall of the “Maria Pia” institute, in the presence of all the scenes of the same institute and of the Aristosseno high school, which alternates between school and work with Stella Maris. The initiative was inspired by the message of Pope Francis for the 108th World Day of Migrants and Refugees who reminds us that “Thanks to migrants we can generate spaces for fruitful comparison between different visions and traditions, which open the mind to new perspectives. We also discover the richness contained in religions and spiritualities unknown to us, and this stimulates us to deepen our own convictions”. You explained the person in charge of Migrantes, Marisa Metrangolo (moderator of the works) that “we speak of an invasion arbitrarily, given the real numbers. How improperly we speak of migrants who come from the Mediterranean Sea, when those people are refugees who flee in order not to die, due to many reasons and international law protects them and one cannot escape them. And still improperly we speak of an emergency in Italy, when decades have passed since the landings across the Mediterranean have alternated. We want to remind you that it is not only Italy and Europe that are affected by migration, but the whole planet. According to 2022 data, there are 281 million immigrants in the world, of which 100,000 are displaced and refugees, asylum seekers, internally displaced persons both due to conflicts and violence and natural disasters. Given these data, it seems that the only way to govern migration is to create walls, border barriers, instead of humanitarian corridors”.

At the beginning of the works, Prof. Giovanna Santoro, head teacher of the “Maria Pia” school greeted the conventioneers, with interventions by Archbishop Mons. Filippo Santoro, of Dr. Rosa Maria Padovano (vicar of the prefect Demetrio Martino), of the councilor for social services Maria Immacolata Riso (representing the mayor Rinaldo Melucci), of mons. Ciro Alabrese (diocesan school and university director), of the lawyer. Cosima Ilaria Buonocore (lecturer in charge of the University of Bari), of the second in command of the Port Captaincy CF Francesco Esposito representing Port Commander CV Diego Tomat, of prof. Ciro Intermite of the Maria Pia Institute, she was Dr. Flavia Leopardo of the Noi e Voi association. She reported on Don Giuseppe Mandrillo, diocesan director of the Missionary Office. During the conference, videos were shown on the activities of Migrantes (itinerant immigration center for women in difficulty, peoples festival, etc.) and Stella Maris, with the testimonies of the various refugees, of the Noi e Voi association. Finally, they spoke of their experience some Ukrainian women, representing the 590 refugees of that nationality, currently in our province.

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The future with migrants and refugees – Corriere di Taranto