From August 18 to 22, in the heart of Costa Rica, voices were raised to defend those who often no longer have a voice.

The Faces Behind the Statistics

At the Juan XXIII Social School in La Unión de Cartago, the atmosphere was special. No political speeches or sterile debates, but heart-wrenching testimonies. Cardinals, bishops, priests, and lay missionaries from across the American continent gathered to talk about people—not “migration flows” or “border issues.”

Because behind every displacement, there is a story. A mother fleeing violence with her children. A father crossing dangerous borders to feed his family back home. Young people dreaming of a future that their homeland can no longer offer them.

When Fear Becomes Policy

The participants did not mince words when discussing recent U.S. migration policies. “A punitive vision that criminalizes migrants,” they denounced, pointing to an approach that turns human distress into a security threat.

This “hunt for migrants”—as they bluntly call it—is sending shockwaves throughout the region. Fear is spreading, intolerance is growing, and what they call a veritable “culture of indifference” is taking hold. As if closing our eyes could make the suffering disappear.

Canada, a New Land of Hope

In this tense context, Canada is emerging as a beacon of hope. After a three-year absence, the country is returning to the discussion table, not as an observer, but as an engaged participant. For many migrants, Canada now represents what America once embodied: the promise of a second chance.

The Church on the Front Line

But this meeting goes beyond mere observation. It raises a fundamental question: how can we respond concretely to this humanitarian crisis?

Participants draw inspiration from a pastoral document with an evocative title: “He saw him, he approached him, and he took care of him.” This is a clear reference to the parable of the Good Samaritan, which sums up in a few words the attitude expected in the face of another's distress.

A Present-day Pastoral Challenge

The Church faces new challenges. Migration flows are changing, sometimes reversing. Deported people return to their countries of origin, often traumatized by their experience. How can we support them? How can we adapt pastoral services to these changing realities?

“I was a Stranger…”

In the end, perhaps it all boils down to these words of Christ quoted in conclusion: “I was a stranger and you welcomed me” (Matthew 25:35). No complicated theories, no geopolitical calculations, but a simple call to humanity.

This meeting in Costa Rica reminds us that behind the major migration issues lie thousands of individual destinies. And that sometimes, all it takes is to see, to approach, and to care in order to change a life.

The Catholic Church in America is thus seeking to build a united response to the challenges of migration, far from political controversies and as close as possible to human needs.

Alessandra Santopadre
Assistant - Office for Cultural and Ritual Communities
Archdiocese of Montreal

Press conference in Spanish: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1AUQjVWbAd/

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