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As the world watches the unfolding developments of the migrant crisis on the Belarusian border with Poland, it is important to be mindful of the facts and the pending humanitarian crisis that is upon Europe.
The men, women and children who have found themselves on this perilous journey have done so at great expense and sacrifice and in most cases through desperation in fleeing from conflict and unrest.
What a risk to take a ‘one way flight’ to a far-off country to them find oneself homeless and helpless, cold and hungry.
“Thousands of people, mainly from the Middle East, are camped out on the border in what the west says is a crisis engineered by Belarus to divide the EU and hit back against sanctions, charges Minsk has denied…We have to prepare for the fact that the situation on the Polish-Belarusian border will not be resolved quickly. We have to prepare for months. I hope not for years,” Mariusz Błaszczak, the Polish defence minister, told Poland’s Radio Jedynka on Wednesday.” (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/nov/17/belarusian-border-crisis-could-last-for-months-says-polish-minister).
The vulnerability that comes to each of these people due to the crisis situation that they are now enduring will have brought great risks for future exploitation and trafficking, as criminals will certain do all that they can to prey on these people and look at ways to make money out of this terrible insecurity.
“Archbishop Stanisław Gądecki, the president of the Polish bishops’ conference, appealed to Catholics to aid the thousands of migrants caught up in a “humanitarian catastrophe” at the roughly 250-mile border between the two countries. I turn to the faithful and all people of goodwill with a request for a nationwide fundraising — on Sunday, Nov. 21 in all churches and chapels, through Caritas Poland — for migrants from the Belarusian-Polish border,” Gądecki said in a homily at Mass at the Holy Cross Church in the Polish capital, Warsaw, on Nov. 5.
The funds collected during the nationwide collection will be used to finance Caritas Poland’s aid activities in the border areas during the migration crisis and the process of long-term integration of refugees who decide to stay in Poland.” (https://angelusnews.com/news/world/polands-catholic-church-to-hold-collection-for-migrants-at-belarus-border/)
Let us all take some time to think about and pray for those caught in this desperately concerning situation and for decision makers to communicate and find solutions before the depths of winter.