‘Human Dignity Has No Passport’
Statement of the International Catholic Migration Commission on World Refugee Day
20 June 2026
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‘On World Refugee Day 2026, the global International Catholic Migration Commission (ICMC) family stands in deep solidarity with those forced to flee their homes in search of safety and protection, all around the world.
For 75 years, ICMC has served uprooted people, including refugees, asylum seekers, internally displaced people, victims of human trafficking, and migrants – regardless of faith, race, ethnicity or nationality. This World Refugee Day also marks the 75th anniversary of the 1951 Refugee Convention, a vital global framework that has safeguarded the rights and lives of many millions of refugees.
As we look back on past achievements, we are conscious that conflict and poverty continue to drive record levels of global displacement, and that resources to assist those in need are much reduced. In this new environment, we are called on to emphasize gospel values, bridge the gap between the global Church and refugee and migrant communities around the world, and play our part in safeguarding international cooperation and multilateralism
“Human dignity demands legal and safe pathways, rescue and assistance, real cooperation against traffickers, effective protection for victims, serious processes of reception and integration, and policies that allow every person to live with dignity in their own land,” said Pope Leo XIV in his 11 June address to migrants and organizations assisting them, in Gran Canaria, Spain.
“While there is a right to seek refuge when life is threatened, there is also the right not to have to migrate: the right to remain in one’s own home without hunger, without war, without persecution, without violence, without the land becoming uninhabitable, without corruption stealing the bread of the poor, without weapons destroying the future of children. We cannot grow accustomed to counting the dead. Human dignity has no passport and does not lose its value when crossing a border.”
This World Refugee Day, we call on all people of faith and good will around the world to join us in proclaiming the inherent dignity of each and every person, and on the international community to ensure policies and practices that hold fundamental rights and protections as their center.
As more and more people turn to the Church and faith communities, our mission is more crucial than ever. We look forward to the future, walking together with you, in solidarity with migrants and refugees.’
“I was a stranger and you welcomed me.” (Matthew 25:35)
