By Thaddeus Jones
In remembering Pope Francis’ legacy in reaching out to the poorest and most marginalized in the world, one Catholic leader in the field pays special tribute to the work he did in helping others appreciate this crucial work since “every single human person is a child of God, made in God’s image and deserves to be included within the communities.”
Monsignor Robert Vitillo serves as an advisor to the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. Before that he worked as Secretary General of the International Catholic Migration Commission based in Geneva. He also served at the National Catholic Conference of Bishops in the United States in promoting human development, as well as special advisor to Caritas Internationalis on HIV and AIDS.
He gave the following interview to Vatican News.
About your own personal memories of Pope Francis, what stands out most for you?
What stands out most for me is his teaching about the human dignity in each and every person and at all stages and situations in life – with any exception! Then there was the fact that Pope Francis not only, as they say, “talked the talk” but also “walked the walk”. He advocated for the practices and laws and policy that would affirm and advance that human dignity. Finally, he himself built relationships with the most marginalized in society in order to give an example for others to do the same. He wanted everyone to understand that every single human person is a child of God, built in God ‘s image and likeness, and so deserves to be included by all other women and men in this world.
Of course, as one who served for many years with Caritas, or Catholic Charities, at diocesan, national (in USA) and global levels, and at the International Catholic Migration Commission, and, finally trained as a professional social worker, I already am particularly sensitive to the need to recognize and promote human dignity. But I am so grateful to Pope Francis for using his global “pulpit” to preach and teach this and to show by his example in every single part of the world. When serving at the International Catholic Migration Commission, I was forever grateful for his advocacy for and with refugees and migrants and displaced persons and survivors of human trafficking throughout the world.
And again, he didn’t just talk about it. He built the relationships and he promoted them to be seen as persons loved by God himself.
Also, I was very, very grateful for the Holy Father ‘s leadership in defending the rights of people living with HIV and AIDS and with so many other of the illnesses that too often are forgotten or ignored, and, as a consequence, these persons are cast aside and made to suffer serious illnesses and early deaths because their illnesses may not generate a sufficiently large market for making profits.
My own personal experience in this regard involved the support given by Pope Francis to the efforts of Caritas Internationalis and other faith-based organizations, in partnership with the former Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, and, later with the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development and the Pontifical Council for Life, to advocate for better research and action on developing appropriate, “child friendly”, life-saving formulations and dosages and diagnostic tools or children living with HIV and TB. At that time, many adults with these infections had access to such medicines but these treatments had yet been developed for children since so many of those children were not benefiting from the antiretroviral medications because they had been made only for adults and not for children.
The Holy Father sent a message to the pharmaceutical and diagnostic manufacturers, officials of governments and international agencies, of faith-inspired and non-governmental agencies serving such children and appealed for joint efforts on these illnesses that caused such suffering and early deaths among children. He suggested that they continue their discussions and cooperation until the effective solutions were found. The Holy Father’s appeal to the industries, the governments, and the care providers was to do more research and to build partnerships through what continues to exist as Rome Action Plan for Children living with HIV and TB. Implementation of the Action Plan expects the stakeholders to make commitments and to regularly report on them. That approach has borne much fruit. Now many lives of children have been saved by the wider range of “child friendly” medicines and testing tools that are available in all parts of the world. Because of that, the lives of millions of children have been saved, and they will grow to adulthood and make their own contributions to the common good.
Is there any episode that comes to mind that expresses what you’ve just said that you’ll remember and take home with you as we think about Pope Francis during these days and years ahead?
Certainly, what comes to mind most is the fact that his first trip outside the city of Rome and outside of Vatican City was to Lampedusa, where so many people had lost their lives. So many refugees and migrants died while they struggled to find freedom or to better provide for the basic necessities of life for their families and their children.
So many of them came in rickety boats that were not seaworthy and lost their lives. The Holy Father wanted to pay tribute to their memory, but also to make a strong appeal to the rest of the world that it was not right to turn the Mediterranean, or any other sea, for that matter, into a cemetery, one of the largest cemeteries in the world. And he made a return visit to Lampedusa in 2023 to mark the tenth anniversary of his first visit there and to make the point that we still were losing too many lives of people who need welcome and safety and new opportunities. That’s so powerful because so many people should not have to struggle and suffer and risk death in order to simply live the basic human dignity that God has gifted them and having been deprived of that. When we close our borders, when we close our doors, and when we try to look so much in at ourselves, we forget that all people are our neighbors, especially those who are fleeing persecution and threats of death or desperately trying to provide for food, education and decent work with safe conditions and just pay for themselves and their children.
Would you say that Pope Francis’ role in these areas you mentioned and his appeals for peace have helped not only those involved in these issues, but also inspired the wider public to have more of an open heart to these people?
I definitely would say that Pope Francis’ appeals have had great effects – first of all, with the people who are suffering daily with such challenges. So many times, when I made visits throughout the world to refugee camps and to border areas, I would meet refugees and migrants fleeing across the border to a neighboring country from which its own citizens are fleeing in the opposite direction. It was heartbreaking to watch whole families, sometimes with three or more generations, grandparents, parents, and children, literally climbing over mountains or through dangerous jungles in search of some safety, security, and a new future. But many of these people told me that they received much hope from Pope Francis because he cared about them. He visibly showed his deep respect and care for them by listening to them, sitting and talking with them during his visits to their home countries, transit countries, or their new host countries. He also read their letters and appeals for prayers; he called them on their telephones. He never forgot them. The passion expressed by migrants and had a deep effect on the people themselves. This gave them hope and energy to keep on trying to seek freedom, security and a new future for themselves and their families.
But then beyond that, I also have met with many, many United Nations officials and also government officials who hear the words of Pope Francis even when their countries may not have been following Pope Francis’ pleas. They hear it, and hopefully their attitudes and their approaches have been affected. Finally, I believe that Pope Francis’ active engagement in and promoting offering resettlement opportunities and other safe migration pathways, through education and work opportunities, has inspired both Catholics and other people of faith and good will to be more committed to welcome, protect, promote, and integrate migrants and refugees in their local communities.
One other point: I think another great contribution of Pope Francis was his whole philosophy and theology of integration. He reminded us that integration didn’t just mean that for those of us who have more, we simply give something to people who are poor and marginalized, but also it was a two-way street. Yes, we could give, but we also receive from those persons who poor and needy, and, in particular from migrants and refugees. We receive their values, their culture, their hard work and their faith when we’re willing to receive them into our countries and make a home for and with them. Pope Francis constantly reminded us that “integration” is a two-way street, not just the “haves” helping the “have nots” but is a mutual exchange of values, skills, gifts, and solutions. And we all become stronger through such solidarity.
Would you say that the most ideal tribute to Pope Francis would be to continue this work in our own spheres, in our own lives and work?
Absolutely. I know that so many of us have been inspired by so many of Pope Francis’ words and deeds. So, I have no doubt that his social and spiritual legacy will continue to inspire us. And I am confident that he will continue to inspire and intercede for the most needy and for all of us as we continue our efforts to put the Gospel into action in our own lives, our families, and in our local and global communities, while striving to promote the common good and to protect our common home of earth and our universe. – Vatican News
