Pope Francis Migrants Centre – Bangalore, India

Pope Francis' 2013 visit to Lampedusa was a defining moment of his pontificate and a profound expression of his heart toward migrants. It wasn't just a visit; it was a prophetic act meant to alarm the conscience of Europe and the world. It was a starting point for a renewed pastoral zeal for those who are marginalized, excluded, and forgotten from society, mainly migrants. The core of his message was "The Globalization of Indifference." Pope Francis saw migrants not as a "problem" or a "wave," but as brothers and sisters whose human dignity is being ignored by a world that has grown indifferent to suffering. From this perspective, there are three spiritual dimensions that we learn from Pope Francis in serving the People of God. First, he stood with the marginalized to "be a pastor" among them. Second, he had not personal anger, but a prophetic denunciation of systems and attitudes that allow people to die at our borders. Third, his compassion was rooted in the Gospel command to "welcome the stranger" and the image of the Good Samaritan—he insisted we must not "pass by on the other side" when we see human suffering. These are the core values that inspired Archbishop Peter Machado to look for all possible ways to provide better pastoral service for migrants in the Archdiocese of Bangalore, India. Through dialogue with the fathers of the Congregation of Missionaries of Saint Charles – Scalabrinians, the process of joining forces towards a shelter for migrants began.

The great discernment was to seek international support to build a shelter for migrants in Bangalore, a place where thousands of internal migrants arrive constantly, coming from different areas of India, particularly from the Northeast region. With the networking efforts of the Scalabrini International Migration Network (SIMN), the Scalabrinian missionaries extended both hands for this good inspiration of a shelter for migrants and connected some generous organizations to support the construction of the Pope Francis Migrant Centre in Bangalore. The great contribution came from: Global Solidarity Institute; Van Tuan Foundation; Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development; Scalabrini International Migration Network; and Vilma Cortelucci Fiuza and Friends of the Scalabrinians in Ontario, Canada.

On December 3rd, 2025, the shelter “Pope Francis Migrants Centre” was solemnly blessed and inaugurated. The symbolic power of the Lampedusa Visit (July 8, 2013) was recalled by Archbishop Peter Machado. “His first papal trip outside Rome was not to a powerful capital or major shrine, but to this small island on Europe's southern frontier, a primary landing point for migrants and refugees from Africa and the Middle East,” said Archbishop Machado. The Pope Francis’ homily during the mass in Lampedusa echoes in our hearts until now. "Who has wept?" He asked this repeatedly. "Who has wept for these persons who were on the boat? For the young mothers carrying their babies? For these men who were looking for a means of supporting their families? We are a society that has forgotten how to weep. The globalization of indifference has made us lose the ability to weep."

The heartfelt compassion and solidarity with migrants that Pope Francis inspired us to build the first shelter for migrants in India under his name. But the inspiration didn’t come only from Pope Francis, and the common discernment and the request of all the sponsors was that the shelter could have the blessing on 3rd of December, the memorial celebration of Saint Francis Xavier, patron of India. With Saint Francis Xavier, we have two fundamental sides of the service for migrants – purposeful missionary to all, and the perpetual traveller. St. Francis Xavier was a famous missionary-migrant, whose entire life was a journey. His legacy is not one of settling, but of constant movement for a sacred cause—a powerful distinct and complementary perspective to Pope Francis's advocacy commitment for migrants who move for survival. Together, they represent two sides of the Christian call: to go out to all the world, and to welcome the world when it comes to us.

For the 2025 Christmas Celebration, the year of the passing of Pope Francis, a few migrants will have the possibility to find a place to stay with dignity. The apostolic care as a shepherd of Archbishop Peter Machado led him to the doors of the Scalabrinian General House, and from this encounter, with the generosity of the sponsors mentioned above, it became a reality in Bangalore. With that, the dream of Pope Francis is still alive – to welcome, to protect, to promote, and to integrate all migrants who come to us. Pope Francis Migrants Centre is a reality due to the generous dedication of Indian priests at the Local Church in Bangalore, Scalabrinian brothers in India, workers of the building, and generous sponsors.

Brother Joseph Siraj, Scalabrinian Seminarian in India (josephsirajpn@gmail.com).

December 8^th, 2025 – Solemnity of Immaculate Conception.