News
09 June 2026
As the global community prepares to mark World Refugee Day, Australia is reflecting on a powerful milestone: one million permanent humanitarian visas granted since 1947, each representing a unique journey of resilience, survival and hope.
The Australian Catholic Migrant and Refugee Office (ACMRO) has joined international efforts to recognise the courage of people forced to flee their homes, while highlighting Australia’s long-standing role in offering refuge and rebuilding lives.
Drawing on both history and faith, ACMRO’s World Refugee Day reflection connects today refugee and people seeking asylum experiences with stories deeply rooted in scripture. Figures such as Abram and Sarai, who fled famine and later became the forebears of many nations, and Hagar, cast into the wilderness yet sustained by divine care, echo the struggles faced by displaced people today.
Similarly, the story of Moses, born into oppression and called to lead his people to freedom. And the flight of Joseph and Mary to Egypt to protect the infant Jesus, are presented as timeless examples of forced migration in search of safety and dignity. These are not just ancient stories. They remind us that the search for refuge, safety and hope is part of the human story, and our faith calls us to honour every person and every journey.
A National Milestone
This year’s observance holds particular significance in Australia. Since the aftermath of World War II, when millions were displaced across Europe, Australia answered the global call for resettlement. Beginning in 1947, the nation has since granted one million humanitarian visas, providing new beginnings for generations of refugees.
Each visa represents more than a number, it marks the rebuilding of lives, families and communities in a country far from home.
Church’s Ongoing Role
The Catholic Church in Australia has played a consistent role in welcoming and supporting migrants and refugees throughout this period. Since the late 1940s, Church agencies, parishes and schools have helped new arrivals settle, integrate and thrive in their adopted communities.
This commitment has been reinforced through decades of official teaching and advocacy. Key documents include:
• Pastoral Letter on Immigration (1950), issued by Australian bishops in the early post-war years
• For Those Who’ve Come Across the Seas, the Australian Catholic Bishops’ Social Justice Statement (2015–2016)
• What the Catholic Church Teaches on Asylum and Migration, published by ACMRO
• Commemorating the 75th Anniversary of the 1950 Pastoral Letter On Immigration - Under the Southern Cross: A Journey of Faith and Unity
Together, these statements reflect a sustained moral call to uphold the dignity and rights of those seeking refuge.
Resources for Communities
To support the 2026 World Refugee Day observance, ACMRO has published online resources for parishes, schools and Catholic organisations. These include liturgical materials, homily notes, prayers of intercession and bulletin inserts designed to help communities engage meaningfully with the day.
The resources aim to deepen understanding, encourage reflection and inspire action in support of refugees both in Australia and globally.
A Shared Responsibility
As conflicts, climate pressures and social instability continue to displace millions worldwide, World Refugee Day serves as both a moment of remembrance and a call to action. In marking one million humanitarian arrivals, Australia is not only commemorating its past but also renewing its commitment to compassion and hospitality. “Every refugee carries a story,” for the Catholic Church “To recognise them is to recognise our shared humanity, and to respond with justice, dignity and hope.”
With acknowledgement and thanks to CathNews, where this article originally appeared.
10 April 2026
“Even just one of these children” is the theme chosen by Pope Leo XIV for the 112th World Day of Migrants and Refugees (WDMR), which will be marked on Sunday, 27 September 2026.
The theme focuses on minors on the move, recalling the duty to welcome each one of them, as the Gospel teaches us. It also refers to Matthew 18:5: “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.”
In a statement, the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development (DPIHD) emphasises: “With this choice, the Holy Father intends to express the Church’s concern for minors directly involved in migration, recalling the duty to welcome each one of them, as the Gospel teaches us.”
The DPIHD also notes that this is “not the first time that the Popes have spoken authoritatively on this issue, but the current migration situation presents new challenges that seriously threaten the rights and dignity of the youngest among us and require urgent and effective responses. Therefore, this is not a matter of discussing numbers or percentages, because ‘even just one’ has the highest value.”
ACMRO will soon publish an online resources webpage featuring articles, videos, and liturgical materials for parishes and primary and secondary schools to mark the celebration of WDMR 2026.
Download the official English version of the WDMR poster from the DPIHD here.
With acknowledgement and thanks to the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development and Vatican News, where this article originally appeared.
10 April 2026
ACMRO has published online resources to support the celebration of World Refugee Day 2026 (WRD). WRD is celebrated internationally each year on 20 June to honour people who have been forced to flee their homes.
For Australia, this year is particularly significant. In the aftermath of World War II, as Europe emerged from widespread devastation, Australia answered a global appeal by offering hope and a new beginning to people who had lost their homes.
Beginning with a 1947 agreement to accept 4,000 refugees from Central Europe, Australia has since granted one million permanent humanitarian visas. These individuals, arriving from every corner of the world, have played a vital role in shaping modern Australia. This celebration provides an opportunity to pause and reflect on this landmark achievement and honour the million personal stories that lie behind it.
The WRD 2026 webpage includes liturgical resources for primary and secondary schools, homily notes, prayers of intercession and parish bulletin notices.
Access online resources here.
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.
