As we at JRS/USA, like millions around the world, mourn the death of Pope Francis, we are reflecting on the attention he consistently drew to the humanity of forcibly displaced people and our obligations to the poor and marginalized.

Solidarity was a cornerstone of his leadership, as he often reminded us that “the encounter with the migrant, as with every brother and sister in need, is also an encounter with Christ.”

From the beginning of his papacy, Pope Francis made clear his commitment to migrants and refugees. In an early, defining moment, he traveled to the Italian island of Lampedusa, which has become a beacon for migrants, to pray for those lost at sea while fleeing their homes, lamenting that the world had “forgotten how to cry” for migrants.

Pope Francis also demonstrated strong support for JRS throughout his pontificate. In 2020, on our 40^th anniversary, the Holy Father wrote to then-JRS International Director Father Tom Smolich, S.J., encouraging our organization to “build a culture of closeness and encounter through… resolute advocacy [for] those whom you accompany each day.”

His support was also evident in September 2024, when, during one his last trips as pope, he visited JRS in Indonesia and took time to listen to staff and members of the refugee community.

“On his first day… in Indonesia, the Pope greeted people on the… peripheries. The Pope always pays special attention to the poor, the abandoned, refugees, and victims of human trafficking,” said Martinus Dam Febrianto, S.J., the country director of JRS Indonesia.

Those who met the pope were moved by the experience. Feruzul, a Rohingya refugee, described it as “a precious moment.” Bibi Rahima, a refugee from Afghanistan, thanked Pope Francis for his unwavering advocacy. Tariq, a refugee from Sudan, expressed gratitude for the Pope’s attention to the refugee crisis and urged him to push for increased resettlement opportunities. Zakaria, a refugee from Somalia, highlighted recent cuts in UNHCR assistance that made the conditions many refugees face even more dire.

In January, Pope Francis ushered in the 2025 Jubilee of Hope by dedicating  the first month to praying for access to education for displaced children. With support from JRS, he sent a video message to his global prayer network raising awareness of the estimated 250 million children not attending school due to migration and forced displacement.

“All children and youth have the right to go to school, regardless of their immigration status. Education is a hope for everyone – it can save migrants and refugees from discrimination, criminal networks, and exploitation,” Pope Francis said in the video. “Let us pray for migrants, refugees and those affected by war, that their right to an education, which is necessary to build a more human world, might always be respected.”

Accompaniment and advocacy were hallmarks of his tenure, and he often lifted up new issues we needed to reflect and act on, like climate-induced displacement. JRS fulfills this call by walking alongside refugees enduring the impacts of climate change.

Shortly before his passing, the Holy Father reaffirmed the Church’s responsibilities to migrants and warned against mass deportations and the rise of xenophobic rhetoric.

In a letter to the US Conference of Catholic Bishops he said: “I exhort all the faithful of the Catholic Church, and all men and women of good will, not to give in to narratives that discriminate against and cause unnecessary suffering to our migrant and refugee brothers and sisters. With charity and clarity we are all called to live in solidarity and fraternity, to build bridges that bring us ever closer together, to avoid walls of ignominy and to learn to give our lives as Jesus Christ gave his for the salvation of all.”

JRS/USA is deeply grateful for Pope Francis’ trailblazing leadership throughout the last 12 years and his work to root the Catholic Church more firmly in the values of the Gospel. His legacy will live on through JRS’ work as well as in the lives of hundreds of thousands of refugees who now have access to brighter futures.