Pope Leo XIV marked the 75th anniversary of the UN Refugee Convention with a direct appeal after Sunday’s Angelus prayer. With 41.6 million refugees worldwide, the Pope called on nations and individuals to recognize their moral responsibility toward the displaced. Aleteia reports the Pope’s remarks came one day after World Refugee Day, June 20, which this year commemorated three-quarters of a century since the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees.
What happened
Speaking in St. Peter’s Square on June 21, Pope Leo XIV addressed the global refugee crisis during his weekly Angelus address. The Pope’s remarks focused on World Refugee Day, observed the day before, and the milestone anniversary of the foundational UN document that established international protection for refugees.
The Pope noted that the majority of refugees, 68 percent, are hosted by low- and middle-income countries rather than wealthy nations. His central message was that “no one can turn a blind eye” to the plight of those forced from their homes by persecution, war, or violence.
Read the full report at Aleteia for additional context.
Why this matters
The Pope’s insistence that “no one can turn a blind eye” echoes a consistent thread in Catholic social teaching: the obligation to welcome the stranger. From the flight of the Holy Family into Egypt to Christ’s identification with the hungry and homeless in Matthew 25, the Church has long understood care for refugees as a Gospel imperative, not a political preference.
The statistic the Pope cited, that poorer nations carry the greater burden of hosting refugees, challenges wealthy countries to examine their response. Catholic social teaching holds that nations have a right to regulate immigration, but that right exists alongside a duty to protect human dignity and respond to genuine humanitarian need. The 75th anniversary of the Refugee Convention offers a moment to ask whether the international system built in 1951 still serves those it was designed to protect.
For Catholic readers
Pray for refugees this week, especially those in long-term displacement. If your parish supports refugee resettlement or immigrant services, consider how you might help. The Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraphs 2241-2243, offers the Church’s teaching on migration and the duties of host nations.
Sources:
1. Aleteia — original report
