AMERICA/COLOMBIA - Week of the Migrant: 4 million people have fled the country, even due to armed conflict

Bogota (Agenzia Fides) - This year's "Day of the Migrant" has become in Colombia the "Week of the Migrant". Therefore the space traditionally dedicated by the Catholic Church to think, work and pray so that understanding and mutual appreciation grows between the peoples and cultures has been extended. Among the various activities of this Week, which is celebrated from 11 to 18 September under the slogan "Together with Migrants in diversity, only one family", the V Forum on Migration, entitled "Migrants, only one human family in the cultural diversity" was held. According to the note sent to Fides, the opening ceremony of the Forum, which was held at the headquarters of the Colombian Episcopal Conference, His Exc. Mgr. Ruben Salazar Gomez, President of the Episcopal Conference, said that the issue concerning migration is "worrisome" and "unfortunately, Colombia is a country that pushes people to go away", given the large number of compatriots who suffer from internal and external migration. In this regard, Mgr. Salazar pointed out that at least 4 million Colombians are estimated to have left the country for various reasons, including armed conflicts.
The Archbishop of Bogota highlighted that "forced migrations threaten the freedom of human beings" and are the product of the "complexity of international relations and internal conflicts, as is the case of Colombia". In addition, because of internal migration there is a disproportionate growth of the city. Mgr. Ruben Salazar Gomez therefore underlined the work carried out by the Catholic Church in the field of migration, in particular the work of the National Secretariat of Social Pastoral/ Caritas Colombian.
All activities of the Week are coordinated by the Commission on Human Mobility of the Bogota Metropolitan Region, which includes representatives of the Archdiocese of Bogota, the Foundation "Atención the Migrant," the Diocese of Engativa, Fontibon y Soacha, Centro Scalabriniano Migration and the National Secretariat of Social Pastoral. (CE) (Agenzia Fides 15/09/2011)