DE FACTO REFUGEES Catholic social teaching applies the expression de facto refugee to "all persons persecuted because of race, religion, membership in social or political groups; to the victims of armed conflicts, erroneous economic policy or natural disasters; and for humanitarian reasons to internally displaced persons, that is, civilians who are forcibly uprooted from their homes by the same type of violence as refugees but who do not cross national frontiers".
Refugees: A Challenge to Solidarity, (Pontifical Council Cor Unum, and Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People, 1992)
The Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) is an international Catholic organisation with a mission
to accompany, serve and defend the rights of refugees and forcibly displaced people. JRS
undertakes services at national and regional levels with the support of an international
office in Rome. Founded in November 1980 as a work of the Society of Jesus, JRS was
officially registered on 19 March 2000 at the Vatican State as a foundation. Read more...
Urgent appeal for the people of Haiti
(Washington, D.C.) Jan. 14, 2010 - In response to Tuesday’s devastating earthquake in Haiti, Jesuit Refugee Service is mounting an emergency relief effort to provide lifesaving aid, including food and other urgently needed items, to the Haitian people. Aid will be provided in partnership with the JRS - Latin America & Caribbean regional office, and distributed through JRS programs in the Dominican Republic, Jesuit parishes and other Jesuit programs in Haiti.
For many years Jesuit Refugee Service has had a grassroots presence in Haiti and has provided humanitarian assistance to displaced Haitians in both the Dominican Republic and along the Haitian border. In addition, JRS has responded to the needs of Haitians following successive natural disasters, a food crisis, and repeated hurricanes. Read more...
Pope Benedict XVI Message for the 96th World Day of Migrants and Refugees, 17 January 2010
Jesus Himself Experienced Migration
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
The celebration of the World Day of Migrants and Refugees once again gives me the opportunity to express the Church's constant concern for those who, in different ways, experience a life of emigration. This is a phenomenon which, as I wrote in the Encyclical Caritas in Veritate, upsets us due to the number of people involved and the social, economic, political, cultural and religious problems it raises on account of the dramatic challenges it poses to both national and international communities. The migrant is a human person who possesses fundamental, inalienable rights that must be respected by everyone and in every circumstance (cf. n. 62 . Read more...
At the Cartagena Summit on a Mine-Free World:
Song Kosal on her expectations
ICBL Ambassador Tun Cahnnareth talks on his expectations for the landmine treaty. Cartagena Summit.
Interview: Accompaniment in JRS.
Fr. Bernard Arputhasamy, S.J., Regional Director of Jesuit Refugee Service – Asia Pacific, discusses the role of accompaniment in JRS. Refugees notice how the mission to accompany is the basis for the work JRS does around the world. Refugees and others know how that aspect of JRS sets JRS apart from other relief organizations: "JRS is here to stay; we know we can count on them," expresses a refugee. "Our close and direct contact with people, our presence with them ... lets us understand their real needs," says Fr. Arputhasamy.
Interview: JRS urges nations to ban landmines.
Fr. Bernard Arputhasamy, S.J., Regional Director of Jesuit Refugee Service – Asia Pacific, notes that the campaign to ban landmines is a priority for Jesuit Refugee Service.
Al Jazeera: Short documentary news on landmines.
Short documentary about mine clearance and victims of landmines in Sri Saket province of Thailand.
Untitled Document
Wounded but not defeated...
a springtime of hope is possible
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