The Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Claudio Gugerotti, visited people housed in former army barracks in Folkestone to show the Pope’s solidarity with them as they look to a better future.
Spending the morning of Thursday, 31 March at Napier Barracks, Archbishop Gugerotti, listened to the asylum seekers’ stories and learned more about their struggles:
“I came to listen, to hug, and to hear their voices and experiences,” he said. “I wanted to say hello to each of them. Some of the languages I know, some I don’t know, but there is a language which is universal – to show respect, to love them because the Catholic Church is centred on the message that ‘God is love’. I think it is a very good way of exercising one’s mission as a diplomat – to be the expression of the love of Peter and the successor of Peter who conveys the message of Christ that each person is a masterpiece. I think that is very simple.”
The Pope wants to go and see the suffering flesh of the Lord. The poor are the suffering flesh of the Lord – and [asylum seekers] are the poor.
Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Gugerotti
The Nuncio, Pope Francis’s representative in the UK, said that the plight of migrants and refugees was a subject close to the Holy Father’s heart.
“Pope Francis asked me to take care of the migrants and to have meetings with them… The Pope wants to go and see the suffering flesh of the Lord. The poor are the suffering flesh of the Lord – and [refugees] are the poor. Now this new generation of people, with hope, do come and they feel that they are ready to build a better future wherever it is possible. We admire the Lord in the creatures that are wounded by life, by their stories, the wars in their countries, their desire to find a better world. This is hope and unfortunately, sometimes in the West, we are not so much a fountain of hope. They have nothing and so they are hopeful and this is a teaching for all of us.”
I’m Archbishop Claudio Gugerotti, the Apostolic Nuncio. I’m here in Dover and we went to visit the barracks – Napier Barracks – and we had a wonderful meeting with volunteers that work in that area.
I was deeply touched by the meetings with these people in spite of the fact that, of course, the barracks are not exactly a five-star hotel. But I realised that these are very young people. They love life. They perceive that England, for them, is freedom. They have the impression that they came from hell and they are in heaven. To see this gratitude to God and to the people is very touching. I feel very proud to be the Apostolic Nuncio in Great Britain to perceive how they appreciate this freedom and hospitality that they receive. All Britons can be very proud of the impression of these people that might have died in the sea, but they are alive, they see their country and they thank the Lord for it. I think it is something that makes us think very deeply.
I thank the Bishops, because Bishop McAleenan accompanied me and organised everything in a wonderful way, and I want to thank the Lord for this very deep impression and to come to a place where you perceive that these people have only their life and their faith. It is a precious gift.
When Pope Francis asked me to take care of the migrants and to have meetings with them, now I perceive what he meant because it was my personal experience. I am in a country where migrants come to find hope and to see a future. So I thank the Lord, I thank everybody and I want to say that I will come back again. First of all I will tell the Pope all the details about today’s visit.
The Pope wants to go and see the suffering flesh of the Lord. The poor are the suffering flesh of the Lord – and [asylum seekers] are the poor. Now this new generation of people, with hope, do come and they feel that they are ready to build a better future wherever it is possible. We admire the Lord in the creatures that are wounded by life, by their stories, the wars in their countries, their desire to find a better world. This is hope and unfortunately, sometimes in the West, we are not so much a fountain of hope. They have nothing and so they are hopeful and this is a teaching for all of us.
Q. When you come to Dover today, what was your message for the people you talked to?
I was there and I wanted to say hello to each of them. Some of the languages I know, some I don’t know, but there is a language which is universal – to show respect, to love them because the Catholic Church is centred on the message that ‘God is love’. I think it is a very good way of exercising one’s mission as a diplomat – to be the expression of the love of Peter and the successor of Peter who conveys the message of Christ that each person is a masterpiece. I think that is very simple.
I came to listen, to hug, and to hear their voices, their experiences and the impression I have is that communication was very successful through very few words.
The Pope is going to prepare to go to very many countries where this situation, and even worse situations, exist and to be his representative is just to try to announce the Gospel in a similar way. I don’t think I can do what the Pope does but just to express his style. Each Pope is a message and it is so beautiful to accept diversity, as he says very frequently, it is a richness for all humanity.
I think of how many people in our parishes have Irish roots, they were migrants. I am Italian – we were migrants – so let us not believe that because we have a certain social level today, which we might lose very quickly, it means that other people are second class. We are the same. The only difference is that, in this period, we are lucky. Other people are not lucky and so they look for a chance – the same chance that we have been granted. This is humanity. The world is the common home of all humanity.
