One of the first acts of Pope Francis after his enthronement as Peter’s successor was his visit to Lampedusa on July 8, 2013. There, he saw human’s tragedy of our century. Since then, he hasn’t stopped multiplying actions to limit damages;

he has continuously organised meetings at different levels with policy makers; he consistently appealed to all people of good will. He called on humankind to unite against human trafficking which he says is the shame of humanity.

Faced with such a planetary plague and whatever its religious or political edge, anyone in love with the cause of the human must avoid two extremes:

1. Total indifference and inaction: Migration, which is the visible part of the iceberg of human trafficking, is a global problem. It touches all continents, peoples and races. It is not only intercontinental; it is also intracontinental. Wanting to stay indifferent and not wanting to act simply means denying the sun in broad daylight.
2. Take action: Blow up all barriers or open all controlling valves to give way to unlimited reception or tighten the locks at the borders.

The Pope particularly appealed to the various religious congregations in Europe in general and those in Italy in particular to “open their homes” to migrants. He himself set an example by welcoming a dozen migrants to Vatican City without distinction of any kind. And in his speech on February 21, 2017 to the participants of the International Forum ‘Migration and Peace’, Pope Francis reaffirmed that “our common response could be articulated around four verbs based on the principles of the doctrine of the Church: welcome, protect, promote and integrate”.

Given the extent of the migratory flow in Italy and following Pope’s appeal, the General Council of the SMA, with the agreement of the entire community of Nocetta, decided to welcome some migrants. After many attempts, through ‘Centro Astali’, a Jesuit organization serving migrants, the community of Nocetta welcomed on 9 February 2016 the first migrant of Senegalese origin. It will be followed a few days later by another migrant of Nigerian origin. Others will follow too. Regularly, since this date of February 9, 2016, we welcomed 4 migrants a year, from September to July. The house has already welcomed a Guinean, four Senegalese, a Nigerian, a Roma couple. Currently live with us four Malians. All are of Muslim origin. They eat with us when they are at home. They get a special diet whenever the daily menu contains something forbidden by their religion.

The ones we have welcomed so far are people going from the stage of dependence to that of autonomy and integration into the Italian community. Their current status vis-à-vis the Italian state allows them to work. From home, they go regularly and freely to their workplaces. They have access to all the common places in the house and each have a key to get in and out of the compound. They were all pleasantly surprised by the trust we gave them by giving them the keys.

While waiting for a long-term solution to curb the migratory crisis that is striking our time in a particular way, the SMA at Nocetta has decided to take a step forward, a step that could be seen as a drop of water in the sea, but a small step that allows some migrants to take a big step towards a certain autonomy and integration into the Italian Society. Other religious congregations, organizations at various levels, and even individuals who are committed to the cause of humanity and its well-being are also working hard to bring lasting solutions. May the Lord bless our actions.

P. François de Paul HOUNGUE, SMA