News
Bishop Anthony Randazzo (centre) with members of the Migrants and Refugees Oceania Network and invited guests in North Sydney, December 2025.
11 December 2025
President of the Federation of Catholic Bishops Conferences of Oceania (FCBCO) and Bishop of Broken Bay, Most Rev Anthony Randazzo, has called for stronger collaboration with governments, regional organisations, and civil society to protect the homelands and livelihoods of people in Oceania.
Bishop Randazzo said it is essential policy frameworks combined with pastoral strategies are needed in a region where whole communities are at risk.
This was his key message to a gathering of the Migrants and Refugees Oceania Network (MRON) in Sydney last night.
Oceania is a vast geographical region in the southwestern Pacific composed of thousands of islands divided into four culturally distinct subregions: Australia and New Zealand, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia
“Our vision is simple, yet ambitious,” Bishop Randazzo said. “We desire a region where every person on the move is treated with dignity, protected from harm, and accompanied with genuine Christian care.
“We want Oceania to be a place where people who are displaced or vulnerable encounter, through us, the face of Christ. We want our Church to speak clearly and act courageously for justice, mercy, and the common good. And we want the Migrants and Refugees Oceania Network to be a catalyst that strengthens advocacy, cooperation, and connection across all our islands and nations.”
The Network was officially announced last year in Rome with leaders from the four episcopal conferences of Oceania, the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference (ACBC), the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference (NZCBC), Conference of Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands (PNGSI), and the Episcopal Conference of the Pacific (CEPAC).
The initiative provides unified support, advocacy, and services for migrants, refugees, and climate-displaced people across the Pacific region. It addresses unique challenges like climate change impacts and labour mobility, and is supported by the ACBC, international groups like the International Catholic Migration Commission and the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. Many of their representatives also attended the gathering at Mary MacKillop Place.
“The work ahead of us focuses on three major areas of concern: people displaced or affected by climate change; seasonal workers; and the plight of West Papua refugees and others seeking sanctuary in Oceania” Bishop Randazzo said.
“Across Oceania, climate change is already shaping the movement of peoples. Rising seas, soil salinity, and extreme weather patterns are placing whole communities at risk.”
Bishop Randazzo said cooperation with scientists and disaster-response experts is essential, so that pastoral strategies are grounded in sound data and shared understanding.
“By establishing regional knowledge-sharing systems and hosting ongoing forums, the Migrants and Refugees Oceania Network can become a vital space where communities, policymakers, and Church partners work together,” he said.
While seasonal labour mobility programmes in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand have brought significant economic benefits to seasonal workers, their families, and communities throughout the Pacific, Bishop Randazzo said many workers face challenges that touch not only their finances, but also their wellbeing, dignity, and family life.
“The Federation (FCBCO) hopes that the Network will advocate for fair working conditions, transparent recruitment, safe accommodation, and genuine protection for workers, including portability of entitlements. We want to work closely with governments, unions, employers, and Pacific embassies so that seasonal workers are treated with the honour and respect that their labour deserves.”
Bishop Randazzo also spoke of the region being home to thousands who have fled violence, hardship, or insecurity. Among them West Papua refugees, whose situation is often marked by uncertainty.
“There are also many from other nations who seek refuge in our part of the world.
“The Migrants and Refugees Oceania Network has an important role in advocating for access to asylum procedures, humanitarian visas, and pathways that allow families to rebuild their lives in safety. We must also encourage governments to recognise long-standing refugee communities whose status remains unclear. Here too, cooperation and connection are vital.”
Bishop Randazzo called on all in Oceania to renew their mission of welcome so that everyone, but especially young people, may find community instead of loneliness, hope rather than despair; and a future that knows and honours dignity.
“The great waters that lie between us do not divide us. They connect us. They unite us. They teach us to navigate by the stars of the Southern Cross in our night sky, to trust in Providence, and to respect the fragility and beauty of creation,” he said.
“In the same way, the Body of Christ binds us together across distance and diversity. “It calls us to unity in purpose, unity in compassion, and unity in love.
“I encourage each member of the Migrants and Refugees Oceania Network to continue building this unity. Share your wisdom. Support one another. Pray for one another. And let your work be a beacon of hope for all who journey across our region in search of safety, opportunity, and peace.”
Read Bishop Anthony Randazzo's full address here.
With acknowledgement and thanks to the Catholic Diocese of Broken Bay where this article originally appeared.
01 December 2025
The ACMRO team extends their sincere wishes for an Advent season and Christmas celebration filled with peace, joy, love and blessings. We deeply appreciate your exemplary collaboration in this ministry and the essential role you play in our journey.
May the everlasting light of Christ shine upon your heart and home this Christmas season and always.
We look forward to continuing to share our newsletters with you in early February 2026.
03 November 2025
The ACMRO team is pleased to announce that it will host the eighth iteration of its National Conference on 25–26 August 2026 at Mary MacKillop Place in North Sydney.
The aim of the conference is to acknowledge and celebrate the faith, gifts, contributions and resilience that migrant communities bring to both our local Church and the wider world, with a particular emphasis on their role in a synodal Church.
More details will be posted on the ACMRO website soon.
03 October 2025
A striking symbol of welcome and faith will “set sail” on Sunday, as the Jubilee Migrant Cross is formally launched at St Christopher’s Cathedral in Canberra to mark the 111th World Day for Migrants and Refugees. (Source: Catholic Voice.)
The launch marks the beginning of a year-long national pilgrimage, recognising the contributions of Australia’s migrant and refugee communities.
“This is an opportunity for the Church to honour the vital role of migrants and refugees,” said Canberra-Goulburn Archbishop Christopher Prowse, who is bishop delegate for migrants and refugees.
“We are very much in the Jubilee Year of Pilgrims of Hope. One of the initiatives taking shape now is highlighting the great contributions that migrants and refugees make to Australia.”
Crafted from Australian recycled timber and set on a boat-shaped base, the Jubilee Migrant Cross carries deep symbolism.
“This cross will move through 28 dioceses – a migrant and refugee cross set on a boat, symbolising the pilgrimage we are all on.”
“The cross represents the journey of migrants, and the boat represents the Church as a pilgrimage toward a safe harbour,” said Fr Khalid Marogi, National Director of the Australian Catholic Migrant and Refugee Office.
At its centre are the Southern Cross constellation and relics of the Holy Family and Saint Mary of the Cross MacKillop, reflecting the faith that unites communities across generations.
Fr Marogi said the cross acknowledges the gifts and resilience of migrants.
“My hope is that this cross allows our wider community to see migrants as people who contribute to the Church and enrich our society.”
Launching this Sunday, the Jubilee Migrant Cross shines as a national sign of welcome and a testament to Australia’s enduring commitment to community, compassion, and inclusion.
More information is available at the Migrant Jubilee Cross webpage on the ACMRO website.
CathNews Article | Catholic Voice Article
21 August 2025
North Sydney, Australia—Today, the Bishops Commission for Evangelisation, Laity and Ministry (BCELM) launched a new document titled "Under the Southern Cross: A Journey of Faith and Unity." The release marks the 75th anniversary of the landmark 1950 Pastoral Letter on Immigration, originally issued by the Archbishops and Bishops of Australia.
The new Pastoral Letter reflects on the Church’s longstanding commitment to supporting migrants and refugees, reaffirming its mission to promote dignity, inclusion, and unity within Australian society.
In the document’s preface, BCELM Chair Archbishop Christopher Prowse writes, “The Catholic Church has long stood in solidarity with migrants and refugees, advocating for their dignity and inclusion.” He continues: “As we look to the future, let us continue to embrace those who seek refuge and opportunity here, recognising in them the face of Christ. Their stories are now part of our shared story, and their hopes are woven into the promise of Australia.”
The document is available in multiple formats, including PDF and web versions. For access, please visit www.catholic.au
ACBC Media Release | CathNews Article
26 July 2025
In his heartfelt message for the 111th World Day of Migrants and Refugees, Pope Leo XIV calls on the Church and global communities to recognise migrants and refugees not only as people seeking safety and opportunity but also as “missionaries of hope.”
Coinciding with the Jubilee of Migrants, the Pope’s message highlights the urgent challenges faced by displaced people amid war, climate crises, and economic inequality. He urges us to renew our commitment to peace, dignity, and shared responsibility.
“Migrants and refugees stand as messengers of hope,” the Pope emphasised, drawing parallels between their journeys and the biblical exodus of the people of Israel. He stressed that their courage and spiritual depth can revitalise communities and foster interreligious dialogue, especially in regions experiencing spiritual decline.
Pope Leo reminds us that the Church is a pilgrim people, journeying towards its heavenly homeland. Catholic migrants, he says, are uniquely positioned to evangelise and bring new life to communities, while host nations are called to welcome them as “brothers and sisters.”
Concluding his message, Pope Leo entrusted all migrants and refugees and those who support them to the protection of the Virgin Mary, praying that hope may flourish in their hearts and guide them toward a world more reflective of God’s kingdom."
