Refugees: Opening our eyes to the vulnerable people around us - with Cardinal Michael Czerny

Seeing refugees as a ‘global phenomenon’ is dangerous because it may cause us to lose focus on the needs of particular refugees in our locality, says Cardinal Michael Czerny, under-secretary for the Migrants & Refugees Section of the Dicastery for Integral Human Development at the Vatican. The first step in cultivating a welcoming attitude is to open our eyes to the vulnerable people in our midst, who many things prevent us from seeing. This leads to four verbs of action that characterize how we should respond not only to refugees but to any vulnerable people we encounter: welcome, protect, promote, and integrate.

This is a powerful interview that gets at our heart’s attitude towards those on the margins of society.

Check out the the resources on the Migrants & Refugees Section website.

This podcast is produced in collaboration with The Tablet.

Many thanks to Jamie Maule for his audio editing!