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The Italian Episcopal migrant commission has joined forces with the NGO Mediterranea Saving Humans to rescue migrants in distress at sea. The first joint search and rescue mission with a support boat financed by the Bishops’ Conference left port on Friday with an intercultural mediator onboard.

The Episcopal migrant commission in Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei met recently to explore ways to enhance the Church’s response to migrants and refugees. The event, which included a webinar organized by the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences, spotlighted the need for collaboration.

The Episcopal bodies of North America, Central America and the Caribbean focused on caring for people on the move will unveil a charter to guide the Church’s accompaniment of migrants and refugees at the local and regional level, the Bishops announced after the tenth meeting on human mobility.

Rising violence is forcing more and more people to flee Myanmar, but there is a severe funding shortfall for the global joint response, says the Catholic-inspired aid body CAFOD. Caritas Bangladesh is among the agencies providing essential services to Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar camps.

The Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI) Commission for Migrants introduced CCBI Mission 2033, a plan to engage parishes throughout the country in meeting the spiritual and social needs of migrants, at a recent seminar. The event focused on creating a society that welcomes migrant workers.

Many Catholics are among those forcibly displaced by the conflict in Sudan, the Adjunct General Secretary of the Sudanese Bishops’ Conference told Vatican News from South Sudan where he has sought refuge. Despite the challenging conditions, the local Church is striving to assist those on the move.

Bishops in England and Wales have condemned the “appalling” acts of violence against people on the move as anti-immigrant protests have rocked the country over the past week. Lead migration Bishop Paul McAleenan assured newcomers that the Church would continue to extend the hand of welcome.

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria launched an apostolate to support people on the move. The new migrant and refugee unit will “adapt Vatican guidelines to the Nigerian context, streamline activities across dioceses, and serve as an advocacy voice to government and international agencies.”

In Trieste, Italy, on the migratory route to Europe, Pope Francis urged Catholics to look for God in “human misery.” The pontiff asked, “Why, in the face of evil that is rampant … the sufferings of migrants, do we not become scandalized?” in a homily at the end of the 50th Social Week of Catholics.

Catholics in Ethiopia are committed to assisting those forcibly displaced by conflict, the President of the Episcopal Conference told Agenzia Fides. “The Church wants to offer help in the social, psychological, spiritual, and trauma treatment areas,” Cardinal Berhaneyesus Demerew Souraphiel said.

The migration sub-commission of the Spanish Episcopal Conference endorsed a call from Bishops of the Canary Islands to “create a culture of encounter” and protect young migrants. They called for public authorities to establish reception arrangements that foster the integration of migrant minors.

On the tail end of elections in Europe, Bishop Mariano Crociata, President of the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences in the EU, stressed the need for countries in the block to unite to welcome forcibly displaced people and to foster dialogue between governmental authorities and churches.

Human trafficking “is wrong, it is illegal, and it is sinful,” Irish Bishops said in a recent statement that highlighted increased forced migration from Great Britain to Ireland. They urged Catholic parishes to become better informed and to continue responding to and raising awareness of the issue.

The Church in Guinea is offering “Free to Leave or Stay” information sessions for young people at risk of irregular migration to raise awareness of the challenges of such a path, Bishop Raphaël Balla Guilavogui told Agenzia Fides. The Episcopal Conference is also assisting returnees to reintegrate.