Historical shifts in church policy 

The evolution of the Church’s engagement with migration highlights the balance between centralised and decentralised pastoral care. As the Holy See's interest in addressing the plight of forcibly displaced people grew, it helped create the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, and contributed to the 1951 Refugee Convention. After the Second Vatican Council (1962–65), the Holy See granted local churches more autonomy regarding migration. It still sought, however, to centralise its humanitarian responses. One former official explained to me that curial offices, tasked with overseeing relief programmes for forced migrants, had in the past been more 'policing' than coordinating. 

Archival materials, such as the Pontifical Council’s Acts of the XII Plenary Session (1993), capture a time when the Holy See measured local diocesan responses against a broader institutional strategy. They help us understand today’s integrated approach. It is a legacy that informs Pope Francis’s reforms, and which continues to influence contemporary humanitarian engagement. 

The Migrants and Refugees section in action 

Pope Francis reimagined this legacy, steering the Church toward a future that puts compassion front and centre. From 2013, he dismantled outdated structures and began to place migrants at the heart of public discourse and pastoral care. Francis' journeys to Lampedusa and Lesbos, coupled with bold reforms in the Curia, transformed traditional Church responses. 

Francis steered the Church toward a future that puts compassion front and centre, dismantling outdated structures and placing migrants at the heart of pastoral care

In 2016, following his first major Curia reform via the Motu Proprio Humanam Progressionem, Francis set up the Migrants and Refugees Section in the newly formed Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. Previous Councils had been structured to progressively centralise Catholic humanitarian work. This Section, by contrast, Francis designed to harness best practices emerging from local churches and Catholic NGOs worldwide. 

Francis invited actors — from Caritas Internationalis to the International Catholic Migration Commission — to share their expertise. The Section thus became a genuine forum for dialogue, reflection, and coordinated action. The model remained under Francis’s direct guidance until 1 January 2023. It allowed a decentralised network to feed into strategic, high-level humanitarian programmes with local sensitivity and informed by a global perspective. 

Symbolic gestures and humanitarian messaging 

Pope Francis’s approach was as much about public symbolism as it was about institutional reform. His first apostolic trip, on 8 July 2013, was to the Italian island of Lampedusa. This groundbreaking visit marked a turning point in the global narrative on migration. On that day, Francis denounced the 'globalisation of indifference'. Shortly after, he urged all religious houses in Rome to open their doors to refugees, declaring 'the empty convents do not belong to you, they are for the flesh of Christ which is what refugees are'. His bold words resonated deeply; a rallying cry for parishes, religious communities, and lay people alike.

Francis challenged every church and every bishop to translate faith into tangible acts of welcome by hosting refugee families

Later, during a dramatic Angelus in St Peter’s Square on 6 September 2015, he extended this summons across Europe. Francis challenged every church and every bishop to translate faith into tangible acts of welcome by hosting refugee families. These symbolic gestures and public advocacies created an influential space for humanitarian messaging. They inspired grassroots initiatives and shifted public debate on forced migration.

The Vatican on the global stage 

Beyond its internal reforms and symbolic outreach, the Holy See under Pope Francis became an increasingly important actor in international diplomacy. My research on the Church’s contributions to UN Global Compact negotiations between 2016 and 2018 attests to its evolving political clout. The Holy See harnessed the expertise and lived experiences of Catholic humanitarian actors, from local dioceses to international NGOs. In so doing, it crafted a uniquely informed position on migration. This process involved consolidating diverse voices and best practices through the Migrants and Refugees Section, directly informing the Holy See’s stance during UN negotiations. 

Diplomats and observers from the Holy See’s permanent mission at the UN noted that this model underscored the Church’s capacity to influence global policy. They also acknowledged that it validated the Church's commitment to global recognition for the rights and dignity of forcibly displaced people. 

‘Othering’ migrants 

Our societies thrive on movement — a sharp contrast to rigid, state-driven systems that resist change. Research shows that many Christian communities struggle to see themselves as dynamic, even though their biblical narratives celebrate journeys and transformation. The Catholic Church has a long history of global missionary work and political manoeuvrings. Its structure, however, has often mirrored the static architecture of modern nation-states. Critics argue that this has led some Catholics to 'other' migrants rather than offering a universal, human response.

Francis made an impassioned call to 'stand in the shoes' of the Other, but his plea sometimes failed to overcome neoliberal mindsets

Pope Francis made an impassioned call to 'stand in the shoes' of the Other. His plea was deeply ethical and theologically grounded. In some cases, however, it failed to overcome the limitations of neoliberal humanitarianism, which often casts immigrants as inherently different. Yet emerging studies reveal intriguing nuances about how the Church addresses displacement. Historical and pastoral reflections suggest that far from being immobile, the Church has long been a community on the move. 

A responsive, forward-thinking community 

Since the nineteenth century, papal pastoral care has developed a multifaceted understanding of forced migration. This shows how the Church is, in essence, dynamic. The Catholic Church's aspirational motto is Ecclesia semper migranda est — the Church must always be on the move. Embracing this spirit, the institution is gradually redefining itself as a responsive, forward-thinking community. This reimagined vision offers hope: a Church that adapts with the times, ready to address global challenges with fresh eyes and an open heart. 

Notably, Francis created 108 out of 135 Cardinal Electors, including the heads of the Migrants and Refugees Section’s Dicastery. As the Cardinals now enter Conclave, Pope Francis’s legacy stands as a powerful blueprint for a future where the lives and dignity of migrants remain at the centre of international discourse and institutional action.

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