Vatican to Host Conference on Migration

-Source-Breitbart- The World Council of Churches (WCC) has announced a joint venture with the Vatican to co-host a meeting next September on migration xenophobia and politically motivated populism." The WCC said it is partnering with the Vatican department for Promoting Integral Human Development in preparing the conference to be held September 17-20 as part of ongoing work toward peace-building and migration." The General of the WCC Rev. Olav Fykse Tveit said the meeting would be a very useful and significant workshop to dig a bit deeper" into the problems of xenophobia as an expression of populism as well as its links to racism conflict and violence in countries around the world. Last September the Vatican launched a two-year campaign to change peoples minds about migrants and to encourage a more welcoming attitude toward them worldwide. Brothers we mustnt be afraid to share the journey! We mustnt be afraid to share the hope!" Francis said in his weekly General Audience on September 27 in which he inaugurated the new project titled Share the Journey." The global Catholic charities network Caritas Internationalis spearheaded the campaign in its aim to promote awareness and action on behalf of migrants and refugees assisting them in building connections with local communities. According to Caritas the project was launched as a response to Pope Franciss frequent summons for a culture of encounter." Our world faces not a migration crisis but a crisis of global solidarity" Caritas said on its website. Be part of a worldwide campaign to reach out to migrants change perceptions open hearts and minds and strengthen the bonds that unite us all." The stated goal of the project is to shed light on both the challenges and effects of migration at every stage of the journey to provoke a shift in thinking" on the issue. Part of this shift in thinking involves dispelling common myths about migration" the organization declared before laying out some common myths around migration and the facts behind the myths." Caritas said these myths include the idea that there are more migrants than ever before that migrants live off welfare benefits and steal jobs from citizens that closing borders will stem migrant flows and that people from poor countries migrate to rich ones." The pope himself has lent his moral weight to the pro-immigration crusade often speaking about the positive side to migration. Last Thursday Francis called for a change in mindset" regarding immigration insisting in a message that migrants are not a threat to society but rather a source of enrichment. In his message to the second Holy See-Mexico Conference on International Migration in the Vatican Francis praised the work of the International Community" aimed at the adoption of two global compacts one on refugees and the other on safe orderly and regular migration."